An online user claimed to have discovered broken metal pins, resembling syringe needles, in Korean premium hanwoo beef, raising questions about meat inspection protocols.

On Tuesday, a user of the online community Bobaedream shared images of metal pieces she claimed were from a needle tip found in beef. She described an experience of chewing on a "small metal pin" first and "a pin resembling a sharp needle tip” later, although a thorough search for other metal parts afterward did not yield any results, she said.

A further X-ray examination at a clinic had found nothing in her body but did identify “what seemed to be a fragment of the needle tip in my husband's stomach." The post included the purported X-ray of her husband.

Her husband received no further treatment at that time due to the unavailability of immediate endoscopic intervention at the weekend emergency room, she added.

The poster said the retailer at first appeared to brush off the issue during a phone conversation with her husband Monday morning. However, later that evening, they offered to cover the hospital costs and provide a refund for the beef cut.