SEOUL: McDonald’s South Korea has suspended sales of its limited-edition Chungju corn cheese croquette burger after customers reported finding small stones inside the product, prompting the company to end the seasonal promotion early.
The burger, part of McDonald’s Korea’s “Taste of Korea” campaign, was withdrawn from restaurants on Thursday, nearly two weeks before its scheduled end date of August 12.
A McDonald’s Korea official said the decision was taken as a precautionary measure to protect customers after multiple complaints related to food safety.
“There were complaints that customers bit into stones, and this is an issue related to safety,” the official said.
How Popular Was the Seasonal Burger?
The burger was launched on July 9 as the sixth product under the Taste of Korea campaign and became one of McDonald’s Korea’s fastest-selling seasonal items, surpassing one million units in sales within two weeks.
The product featured a mozzarella cheese croquette made with waxy corn sourced from Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, and was developed as part of an initiative to promote locally produced Korean agricultural products.
McDonald’s Korea said the menu used around 25 tonnes of locally grown corn and was created in collaboration with Chungju to support regional farmers.
The company said it received at least three customer complaints involving stones in the burger, triggering an internal safety protocol that requires sales suspension when repeated reports of the same issue occur.
McDonald’s Korea is currently investigating how the foreign materials entered the product in coordination with raw material suppliers and production partners.
The company confirmed that sales of the burger have been permanently discontinued and are unlikely to resume even after the investigation is completed.