May 15, 2025
SEOUL – Korean celebrity chef and food franchise entrepreneur Paik Jong-won has announced plans to take legal action against what he describes as “malicious attacks” aimed at destabilizing his company, TheBorn Korea.
Speaking with reporters at a restaurant in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday, Paik said his company has reviewed online content, particularly on YouTube, and is preparing to respond legally to those who “distort the facts with malicious intent.”
“I could tolerate attacks against Paik Jong-won the individual, and I do feel remorse about errors of my ways and am fixing them … but it’s the excessively critical (online) content that worries me,” he said.
The comments come on the coattails of Paik’s announcement last week that he would discontinue TV appearances in light of the string of controversies concerning his food and beverage company. This includes accusations of misleading or deceiving consumers about the origins of ingredients and failing to properly refrigerate meat at a local festival.
Police said Monday that 14 cases related to Paik and the company are currently under investigation.
The 58-year-old entrepreneur offered an apology for the hygiene issues and misleading product labeling. He announced that TheBorn Korea would spend 30 billion won ($21.1 million) in support measures for franchisees suffering financial troubles and reputational damages.
In a bid to power through the controversy, Paik said he is currently working on developing new sauces for Korean dishes for the international market. Concerning the much-disputed product Paik Ham — which had low pork content despite being more expensive than the market price of other ham products of similar quantity — he said the company would release a new version with higher pork content in the coming months.
While Paik admitted responsibility for the company’s missteps, he also claimed that a small group of individuals is driving the majority of the attacks.
He said some individuals have submitted over 70 petitions to the authorities concerning TheBorn Korea, and said that the repeated criticism over issues already under improvement was exacerbating the anxiety of franchise store owners. “We admit to the problems and are trying to fix them, so I urge you to wait and watch just a little bit.”
An unidentified petitioner, who recently posted online proof of themselves submitting 72 petitions related to Paik and the company between March and May, refuted Paik’s comments on Wednesday. The person said that those are not repeated petitions about the same issue, but petitions over repeated illegal acts.
“If the same company repeatedly conducted illegal activities across the country, wouldn’t it be in the public’s interest to consistently raise the issue about it?” The person posted in an online community.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com