'Everything's going up': Small business owners squeezed by rising fuel, ingredient costs

'Everything's going up': Small business owners squeezed by rising fuel, ingredient costs

Kim Bong-hwan, who runs a barbecue restaurant in Myeong-dong in central Seoul, is feeling the brunt of rising costs, with wholesale beef prices climbing from about 28,000 won ($18) per kilogram to more than 40,000 won in recent weeks. "Everything's going up — beef, pork, eggs, vegetables and even disposable materials like plastic bags and containers," he said. "Prices have risen 20 to 30 percent in just a few weeks." Kim, who has operated the re…