Latest news with #PaikHam
Korea Herald
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Fall & fight of star chef Paik Jong-won in 2 minutes
Albeit not Michelin-starred, Korean restaurateur and celebrity chef Paik Jong-won is arguably the country's most famous culinary figure. Known for his easy-to-follow cooking, built on humor and pragmatism, he has become something of a national uncle, always ready with foolproof recipes. But this year marks a turning point in his uphill career, as he faces a string of setbacks and mounting scrutiny, gradually stepping out of the frame after more than a decade in the media spotlight. Who is Paik Jong-won? Korea's best-known celebrity chef and restaurateur Built a food empire with Theborn Korea (3,000+ stores, 25 brands) Gained fame for easy, practical cooking on television and online platforms Often dubbed Korea's 'national uncle chef' From stardom to scrutiny Rose to fame via hits like MBC's "My Little Television" and Netflix's "Culinary Class Wars" Took TheBorn Korea public in late 2024 — stock spiked, then halved Backlash & controversies Criticized for low pork content in Paik Ham Tangerine beer under fire for weak fruit content Safety missteps: LPG gas near stove, microwaving plastic, using pesticide bottle for sauce Ingredient mislabeling and franchise hygiene issues Accused of meddling in show casting, inappropriate interview practices 14 ongoing police investigations related to food safety and labeling violations Paik steps back Announced hiatus from media to address internal issues Apologized to public and franchisees Launched emergency measures: 30 billion won ($22 million) support fund 3-month royalty suspension Full safety and compliance review What's next? minmin@
Straits Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
S. Korean celebrity chef Paik Jong-won vows to take legal action against ‘malicious attacks'
South Korean celebrity chef Paik Jong-won said his company is preparing to respond legally to those who 'distort the facts with malicious intent'. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM PAIK JONG-WON/YOUTUBE SEOUL - South 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 destabilising his company, TheBorn Korea. Speaking with reporters at a restaurant in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on May 13 , Mr 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 Mr 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 on May 12 that 14 cases related to Mr Paik and the company are currently under investigation. 'A few individuals are behind this' 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, Mr 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 Mr 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. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Korea Herald
14-05-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Paik Jong-won strikes back, vows to take legal action against 'malicious attacks'
K-food mogul blames strings of petitions by certain individuals, seeks charges against YouTubers 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. 'A few individuals are behind this' 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.
