Celebrity chef Paik Jong-won faces firestorm of controversy — but the cameras keep rolling
SEOUL, May 1 — South Korea's culinary kingpin Paik Jong-won may be battling a storm of allegations, but his TV career isn't slowing down.
The celebrity chef — known for his no-nonsense kitchen persona on Netflix's Culinary Class Wars and owner of over two dozen food franchises — is under scrutiny for everything from mislabelled food products to alleged power trips behind the scenes.
The biggest fire Paik's trying to put out? Accusations that his company, Theborn Korea, violated country-of-origin labelling laws.
The issue surrounds Paik-seok doenjang, a fermented soybean paste reportedly advertised as locally made but allegedly containing Chinese ingredients.
That could spell serious trouble under South Korea's strict origin labelling act, with penalties of up to seven years behind bars or a 100 million won (RM302,068) fine.
It doesn't end there. Theborn Korea is also accused of producing the paste in an agricultural promotion zone where imported ingredients are a big no-no.
Add to that complaints over barely-there pork in its ham products and a tangerine beer that apparently forgot the tangerines, and the chef's empire is starting to feel the heat.
But it's not just food scandals that have Paik on the ropes.
An old YouTube video from May 2024 resurfaced recently, showing a gas canister dangerously close to a brazier in an indoor kitchen — a clear violation of safety laws that could bring another fine of up to 40 million won.
The chef's conduct off the stove is also being questioned.
On April 21, former TV producer Kim Jae-hwan reignited a years-old spark by accusing Paik of overstepping on the 2015 reality show My Little Television.
In a YouTube video, Kim claimed Paik insisted on his own filming crew and writers, disrupting the show's creative chemistry.
'This undermines the chemistry between the producer and the filming team, which is essential to the atmosphere of the show,' Kim said.
'If the filming team is only trying to please Paik, the on-set authority naturally shifts to him.'
Kim also alleged that Paik had the power to boot cast members he didn't like.
'Most stars are cautious when it comes to staff issues — but Paik was different. Once word got out that he had a close relationship with the TV executives, he got his way,' he added.
Still, not everyone's backing Kim's account.
Another producer from My Little Television told Hankook Ilbo that no such abuse occurred on their watch, and that Paik and the crew worked hard to make the show a success.
Despite the swirling drama, Paik's face is still a fixture on screens.
He's confirmed to return in the second season of Culinary Class Wars, with filming already underway.
He's also slated for another round of The Genius Paik on tvN, where he takes Korean cuisine to unexpected corners of the globe.
And if that's not enough, his upcoming series Chef of Antarctica is still on track for release this year.
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