Customs Takes 50 Million Won Worth of Coffee Beans from Ruliweb Operator

1. Overview

In late October 2026, a post spread through online communities claiming that 4 kg of the 30 kg of premium green coffee beans that Ruli Coffee (ㄹㄹㅋㅍ), headed by Ruliweb co-founder Park Byeong-uk (nicknamed “Hwangdal”), had won at an auction in Panama was taken during the import process as samples for quarantine inspection. Only 26 kg arrived in South Korea, with 2 kg missing from each variety, according to the post.

The issue was not the quantity so much as the price. Based on the auction prices, the 4 kg taken as samples were worth around 50 million won. This prompted both anger that “customs took them under the pretext of inspection” and rebuttals that it was “simply the prescribed quarantine procedure.”

2. Auction Win and Arrival in South Korea

According to a screenshot of a post on theqoo, Park Byeong-uk won 15 kg each of two premium coffee varieties—30 kg in total—at the 2026 Best of Panama auction. Screenshots of the auction show GW-04 at $6,005 per kilogram ($90,075 for 15 kg) and GN-01, Lérida Waterfall Geisha Natural, at $13,505 per kilogram ($202,575 for 15 kg). The list of winning bidders includes Ruli Coffee (ㄹㄹㅋㅍ, Ruliweb), along with several Taiwanese and South Korean businesses. The matter came to light when it became known that only 26 kg had recently arrived in South Korea.

The post claims that the Korea Customs Service took 2 kg of each variety, 4 kg in total, as samples for green coffee bean quarantine inspection. Stickers on photos of the boxes posted alongside it read “GN-01 Lérida 13 kg” and “GW-04 Cenizosa 13 kg.” Those figures appear to match the claim that 2 kg were taken from each 15 kg lot, but the contents of the boxes have not been independently confirmed.

3. Spread Across Online Communities

The first widely noticed post was “ㄹㄹㅋㅍ Coffee Beans Snatched” (“ㄹㄹㅋㅍ 원두 삥뜯김”), posted to Ruliweb’s Humor board on October 20. The author wrote briefly, “Basically, they bought expensive beans, got selected for inspection, and customs took them.” Comments speculated that employees might be eating the beans under the pretext of inspection, and some said the Customs Service had a bad reputation. Others mentioned a “rumor” that officials deliberately selected expensive-looking goods for inspection.

The discussion flared up again on October 28, when “Let’s Find Out How Much the Coffee Beans Hwangdal Had Confiscated? Cost” (“황달이 강탈?당한 원두 가격을 알아보자”) was posted to Ruliweb’s Humor board. The author calculated the value of the 2 kg taken from each variety: $12,010 for 2 kg of GW-04 and $27,010 for 2 kg of GN-01, totaling $39,010, or about 53.4 million won. A post on theqoo made the same calculation, applying an exchange rate of 1,341 won to the dollar to arrive at about 52.3 million won. It described the loss as equivalent to the price of a fully loaded Kia PV5. On the same day, a comment saying, “If they took 2 kg each, shouldn’t he sue?” became a top comment on Ruliweb, while another comment—“They took them because they wanted to eat them, under the pretext of inspection”—also received many recommendations.

4. Counterargument: It Was a Quarantine Procedure, Not a Customs Issue

Around the same time, a series of posts challenging the claims appeared on Ruliweb. In a post titled “Ruli Coffee Isn’t a Customs Issue” (“루리커피는 세관 문제 아님”), one user explained that the incident was not an abuse of authority by customs or the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, but rather the collection of samples for the quarantine of imported agricultural products. The user argued that green coffee beans are classified as agricultural products and that the procedure followed the law. However, the user also acknowledged that the standards themselves were an issue, adding that some people were unhappy that expensive green coffee beans were sampled at the maximum amount every time they were imported.

Another user said they had worked part-time for an import food quarantine agency about nine years earlier and described their experience. Imported goods intended for consumption must pass quarantine by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety; familiar products are usually processed through paperwork, but samples of products being imported for the first time are taken for testing. The user speculated that the same reason might apply here. They recalled that the remaining quantity was returned upon request after samples were taken, but cautioned that things might have changed since then. Although their memory was hazy, they said that even then, a fairly large amount was taken, and they had heard an importer get angry and ask, “Why are you taking so much?”

5. Authenticity Debate

The central question is whether collecting 2 kg of each variety, 4 kg in total, was a normal quarantine procedure for imported green coffee beans or an excessive amount taken from a high-value product. The question of whether the Korea Customs Service can be held responsible is also part of the discussion.

5.1. The View That Officials Simply Followed the Prescribed Procedure

This side first points out that green coffee beans are agricultural products, not processed foods. According to a post from September 2024 titled “Looking Back at the Coffee Customs Blending Post” (“다시보는 커피 세관 블렌딩 글”), a comment apparently from the Korea Customs Service was posted later to explain that unprocessed coffee beans are agricultural products subject to plant quarantine and detailed inspection, unlike processed foods subject to random inspections, and that customs handles only the paperwork while the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety carries out the inspections. If the same reasoning applies here, this side argues, blaming the sample collection on customs officials seeking personal gain would be misplaced.

The second point is that this may have been a first-time import of these products. According to the account from someone who had worked for a quarantine agency, samples of a product being imported for the first time are always taken for testing. It has not been confirmed whether that applies here, but since the beans were two different varieties, this side argues that each would have required a separate sample, and that the total amount would not be surprising if they were collected separately. The 2024 explanation also said that 5 kg of coffee had been declared as a single shipment rather than in separate declarations, and was handled accordingly. If the same reasoning applies here, the amount collected may vary depending on how the shipment was declared, suggesting that this is a matter of the system rather than the Customs Service’s discretion.

5.2. The View That It Was Excessive Regardless

The opposing side argues that the existence of a procedure and the appropriateness of the amount collected are separate issues. Comments pointed out that only 1 kg of each variety, 2 kg in total, would have been enough for two varieties, yet 2 kg of each variety—4 kg altogether—was taken. Others said they understood the need for sampling but could not understand why 2 kg was needed. One comment asked why they would take as much as 2 kg of green coffee beans worth around 10 million won per kilogram.

The second point is that complaints about this have arisen repeatedly. This is not the first time people have complained that expensive green coffee beans are sampled at the maximum amount each time they are brought into the country, and the user who wrote the rebuttal also acknowledged that such complaints exist. A comment said that a similar incident had occurred in 2024 and that the term “customs blending” was fairly well known in the coffee industry. No one has explained how much of the 4 kg taken as samples was actually used for testing or whether the remainder could be returned.

It is too early to reach a final conclusion. The sample standards actually applied in this case, the method used to declare the shipment, and whether any remaining samples will be returned have not yet been confirmed. No direct statements from Park Byeong-uk, Ruli Coffee, the Korea Customs Service, or the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety have been confirmed either. Since many aspects of the allegations rely on community posts, comments, and accounts of past experiences, questions remain.

6. Trivia

• The amount of around 50 million won varies slightly between posts. The Ruliweb post calculated about 53.4 million won, while the theqoo post calculated about 52.3 million won using an exchange rate of 1,341 won per dollar. Both figures are conversions based on the auction prices, so they may differ from the actual import cost or retail price.
• The theqoo post included the one-line comment, “Seems like they’re satisfying their own desires.”
• According to a post revisiting the 2024 “customs blending” post, the original Instagram post had already been deleted, and by the time an explanation apparently from the Korea Customs Service was posted, public interest had already died down.