South Korean McDonald’s axes popular corn burger after customers bite into stones

McDonald's in South Korea has halted sales of its exclusive Chungju corn cheese croquette burger following multiple customer complaints about discovering small stones in the product. The decision to end the pre-emptive measure followed the safety concerns raised by the consumers. The burger, launched on July 9 as part of the fast-food giant's Taste of Korea campaign, had already sold over 1 million units within two weeks of its debut.

The burger, which celebrated the campaign's fifth anniversary, was made with mozzarella cheese croquette and local waxy corn from Chungju, North Chungcheong province. The campaign, a yearly event since 2021, aimed to promote Korean agricultural products and boost sales for regional farming communities. Despite the temporary suspension, McDonald's is currently conducting an investigation into the source of the stones in the burger and is working with suppliers to resolve the issue.