Food poisoning claims have been made against a top hotel in Seoul after it served a large luncheon.

Three people among the about 770 members of the Korean Bar Association who ate lunch at a banquet at a five-star hotel in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, on Feb. 13 reported stomachaches. They went to a nearby hospital and were diagnosed with gastroenteritis.

Suspecting food poisoning, the association complained to the hotel with a survey conducted among members who dined at the hotel on the day. According to the association, about 50 said that they had indigestion after the meal.

“No problem was found according to our internal investigation, and we have requested an external licensed institute to further investigate the case. Right now, we do not know if it was food poisoning that caused the stomachaches. Results will come out around next week,” said a PR official at the hotel.

“The hotel keeps additional food from every meal to use as proof in cases like this. If something is found in the investigation, it would be directly reported to health officials,” added the official.

The hotel achieved the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point certification in 2004.

By Park Min-young (claire@heraldcorp.com)