① Tsingtao Beer Factory Urination Video
A video of urine being added to the raw materials at the Chinese Tsingtao Beer production factory has been exposed. On the 19th, a video was released on Weibo showing a worker in a helmet and work clothes entering the malt storage area, a raw material for beer, and urinating at the Tsingtao 3 factory in Pingdu City, Shandong Province. The man crossed the fence to where the raw materials were located and looked around while urinating.
The video became controversial, rising to the top of Weibo’s real-time search terms. Tsingtao Beer from China is one of the four major beers in China with a 120-year history. It is one of the oldest beers in China. Along with Snow, Yanjing, and Harbin Beer, it has made its name as a representative beer of China.
It is also a popular imported beer in our country.
With the release of the controversial video, it seems inevitable that Tsingtao Beer’s image will be damaged and sales will decrease. The factory’s lax product management also came under scrutiny. As the video spread, the factory hurriedly announced its position. The factory said, “We are investigating the truth,” and “It’s hard to determine the truth from the video alone due to poor quality. The technology related to videos is excellent these days,” suggesting that the video could have been manipulated.
The Pingdu City Market Supervision Administration, which oversees the factory, announced, “We have formed an investigation team, started an investigation, and sealed all raw materials of the related factory,” and “If it turns out to be true, we will strictly punish it according to the law.” Chinese media also reported the news promptly. Local security has begun an investigation.
Tsingtao Beer Factory 3, a global-scale factory, increased its annual production from 750,000 kiloliters (198,130,000 gallons) in 2018 to 1.2 million kiloliters (317,006,000 gallons) last year through continuous expansion.
② Arrested on the Day of the Incident
Chinese local media reported that the managers related to the video were arrested by the police using an anonymous source on the day of the incident. They stated, “The person who urinated and filmed the video are not Tsingtao Beer employees but outsiders, and they appear to be contract workers.” They added that the video was filmed in a truck cargo box, not in a beer factory raw material warehouse, as it was filmed outdoors. However, the motive for filming and posting such a video on the internet is unclear.
As local media revealed that the place in the video was originally a parking lot of a logistics company, the company’s poor management issue is also controversial. Domestic beer companies have stated, “In our country, there are no cases where raw materials for product production are stacked outside.”
Chinese netizens showed reactions such as “The truth must be clarified, the perpetrators must be severely punished, and measures to prevent recurrence must be prepared,” “The reputation and trust of Tsingtao Beer have been damaged, and it has amplified consumers’ anxiety about all food,” and “I can’t believe the beer I’ve been drinking had urine in it.”
③ Serious Situation at Home
When the urination video of the Tsingtao Beer factory was released, the Korean Food and Drug Administration also announced its position. On the 21st, the Korean Food and Drug Administration stated, “According to the results confirmed through the food and drug inspector dispatched to the Tsingtao Consulate, the products produced at Tsingtao Beer Factory 3 were confirmed to be domestic products in China.” They explained that the factory is not registered as an overseas manufacturer.
BeerK, which is importing Tsingtao Beer, also issued a statement. BeerK stated, “Upon confirming with Tsingtao headquarters about the current hygiene controversy at Tsingtao Beer Factory 3, they are manufacturing domestic and export products in separate factories.” They added, “The Tsingtao Beer brought into Korea is produced not at Factory 3, which is controversial, but at Factories 1, 2, and 5,” and “Each factory uses its own stored malt, so there is no possibility of the problematic malt being used in other factories.”
However, the situation is far from normal due to the controversial video. Domestic netizens are also expressing their anger. Protest comments from domestic netizens continue on the official Instagram of Tsingtao Beer. Access to the Tsingtao Beer headquarters and domestic import company websites is blocked. Netizens are also leaving related comments on the Instagram of actor Jung Sang Hoon, the advertising model for Tsingtao Beer.
Due to the controversy over Tsingtao Beer, domestic small business owners are worried about decreased sales. Not only this incident but also food-related controversies in China are not stopping. With the occurrence of ‘naked kimchi’ followed by ‘urine beer,’ signs of ‘China-phobia’ are spreading again.
By. Seo Sung Min
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