A customer with disability who was charged an excessive fee of 520,000 won ($440) by a hair salon to have her hair dyed emphasized in a police inquiry that what she wants is a sincere apology, not a refund.

The police said Wednesday that they are currently investigating the case.


The average cost for women to have their hair dyed at Korean hair salons is around 50,000 won.

“The price may go up if the customer’s hair is extremely long, in which case we need to use more product. But that still wouldn’t go over 100,000 won,” said a hair dresser who works in Seoul’s popular Ewha Women’s University area.

The victim, a 35-year-old surnamed Lee, said she had explicitly requested to have her hair dyed at a cost no higher than 100,000 won.

Lee told the police,“I want to receive a sincere apology for the contempt of disability.”

Lee offered to pay 200,000 won, the maximum she could afford based on her monthly budget. She said she saved 10,000 won every month for her yearly hair treatment.

The owner of the hair salon had refused to back down, saying the products used on Lee were worth much more.

Lee has since filed a legal complaint against the salon with help from the police.

The police and a local human rights association are looking into other complaints raised against the same salon to see whether the business has been accused of deceit.

The hair salon is temporarily closed.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)