[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] A rubber foreign object the size of a finger was found at a McDonald's Korea store in Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do, causing controversy.

According to a Newsis report on the 8th, consumer Choi visited a hamburger franchise store in Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do on the 5th and while eating packaged ice cream, he chewed on something hard and spit it out immediately. Upon looking again, the foreign object was a black rubber the size of a pinky finger.

In response to the absurd consumer's complaint, the store manager repeatedly apologized, saying, "It seems like the rubber attached to the machine came off," and "We are so sorry." McDonald's store management also announced that they will refund and collect the product from Mr. Choi, and will also cover his hospital bills.

"I was shocked to find such a large foreign object in my ice cream," Choi said. "I hope this will serve as an opportunity to review cooking procedures and strengthen hygiene."

This is not the first time that McDonald's has had a hygiene and foreign substance controversy. Despite being brought up several times, similar problems are being repeated, and consumers are becoming more anxious and even resentful.

Last December, a hair was found in a McDonald's hamburger. The consumer who found it said, "I received a refund. However, I heard later that the company disposed of it without even investigating the specific circumstances, and I felt that they did not recognize the seriousness of the problem."

In April, a piece of wood was found in a hamburger, and in June, oil blotting paper was found. In August, a 10cm thread was found, and hair was found in a chicken nugget.

Last August, a consumer living in Jecheon filed a complaint after discovering a thread in a double bulgogi burger he brought home from a McDonald's store.

The consumer complained, saying, "A 10cm long thread came out of my mouth." "When I called the head office, they just transferred my complaint to the Jecheon branch and asked me to send the product back via courier. There was no mention of compensation or refund."

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the number of violations of the Food Sanitation Act by hamburger franchises over the past five years (2019-2023) was 489, of which McDonald's accounted for 106 cases, or 21.6%.