'Prime spot' price? Busan restaurant charges 800,000 won per table during fireworks festival

A Busan restaurant with a prime view of the city's annual fireworks festival has sparked debate after charging 800,000 won ($596) per table for a special menu during the event.

Videos and photos of the menu board and interior of a Gwangalli restaurant circulated online Sunday, showing prices charged during the 21st Busan Fireworks Festival on Saturday, which drew about 1.2 million visitors.

The menu board displayed the heading "fireworks festival price" and listed the Course A option at 800,000 won per table.

The course included four dishes — a mixed samhap platter, yukhoe jeon, stir-fried octopus with thin noodles, and mentaiko mayo gim rolls — along with one bottle of wine.

A separate Course B was available at 150,000 won per person, with a minimum booking of two people.

The restaurant offers an unobstructed view of Gwangan Bridge through its windows and features multiple window seats well-positioned for watching the fireworks display.

The elevated prices appear to have applied only for the duration of the festival.

Reactions online were divided. Some said they understood the pricing, with comments such as "It feels like you're paying for the view, not the food" and "It's a luxury worth splurging on for a special occasion."

Others were more critical, with remarks including "Even for a prime spot, 800,000 won is excessive" and "Isn't this just price gouging?"

The festival-driven price surge extended beyond restaurants to accommodation.

A city probe of 157 lodging establishments within 500 meters of the festival venue found that room rates on the day of the event averaged 94.5 percent higher than on a typical weekend.

Of those, 15 establishments raised their rates by more than 200 percent.