Latest news with #ThebornKorea
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@
The Star
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Culinary Class Wars' Paik Jong-won to suspend TV appearances amid controversies
Paik Jong-won announced on May 6 that he would halt his TV appearances, aside from programmes currently in production. Photo: YouTube screengrab South Korean celebrity food entrepreneur Paik Jong-won has announced that he would be discontinuing his TV appearances in an apology video. The clip was posted to his YouTube channel on May 6 following a string of controversies. The news comes as Seoul Gangnam Police Station said that the 58-year-old is under investigation. There were allegations that his food and beverage company Theborn Korea claimed the ingredients used for its porridge product were domestically sourced in South Korea when they were not. This follows claims that a soya bean paste produced by his company was marketed as domestically made despite using imported ingredients. Paik is Theborn Korea's founder and largest shareholder. Despite never having worked as a chef at a restaurant, he earned a reputation for being an approachable and humble celebrity chef by giving business advice to struggling small eateries and sharing easy-to-follow recipes with viewers in his TV programmes. The allegations have hit Paik hard. They damage his image as an advocate for South Korea's agricultural and livestock industry, who often spoke of the importance of using home-grown and domestic ingredients. 'I will suspend all television appearances on all programmes except for the ones that are already in production. I will focus all my energy and passion on Theborn Korea, as an entrepreneur, not a television personality,' Paik said in a five-minute clip. His announcement comes just a day after the hit competition series Culinary Class Wars (2024), which Paik fronted as a judge, won the top honour of Grand Prize in the TV category at the Baeksang Arts Awards on May 5. He did not specify whether he would be stepping away from the second season of Culinary Class Wars , which reportedly started filming in late March and is slated to premiere on Netflix later in 2025. Theborn Korea, which operates multiple restaurant and cafe franchises, is also accused of breaking several laws related to food and livestock sanitation. There was a claim that it violated South Korea's food safety law when it seemingly failed to refrigerate meat used at a barbecue festival in 2023. It also allegedly used a pesticide sprayer to dispense sauce on the barbecue meats at the same festival, though it maintains that it acted in accordance with the law. Paik said he is to be held accountable for all the accusations related to quality and hygiene issues of the company's products. He said he would treat 2025 as a 'new founding year' for the company, which was started in 1994, and dedicate himself to reforming the company and its corporate culture. He added that he would launch an additional large-scale subsidy plan for franchise owners under Theborn Korea. Paik had previously pledged 5bil won to help franchise owners hit by the recent controversy, including exempting them from royalty fees for three months. Separately, a former television producer claimed that Paik made unreasonable demands while starring in the variety series My Little Television (2015 to 2017), by insisting on working with writers he picked and pushing out cast members he disliked. While he did not directly name My Little Television , he referenced allegations of him abusing his power on set. He said: 'If my words or actions hurt anyone during production, that is entirely my fault. I should have remained humble, especially after receiving so much support.' – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
Straits Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Culinary Class Wars' Paik Jong-won to suspend TV appearances amid controversies
Paik Jong-won announced on May 6 that he would halt his TV appearances, aside from programmes currently in production. PHOTO: PAIK JONG-WON/YOUTUBE SEOUL – South Korean celebrity food entrepreneur Paik Jong-won has announced that he would be discontinuing his TV appearances in an apology video. The clip was posted to his YouTube channel on May 6 following a string of controversies. The news comes as Seoul Gangnam Police Station said that the 58-year-old is under investigation. There were allegations that his food and beverage company Theborn Korea claimed the ingredients used for its porridge product were domestically sourced in South Korea when they were not. This follows claims that a soya bean paste produced by his company was marketed as domestically made despite using imported ingredients. Paik is Theborn Korea's founder and largest shareholder. Despite never having worked as a chef at a restaurant, he earned a reputation for being an approachable and humble celebrity chef by giving business advice to struggling small eateries and sharing easy-to-follow recipes with viewers in his TV programmes. The allegations have hit Paik hard. They damage his image as an advocate for South Korea's agricultural and livestock industry, who often spoke of the importance of using home-grown and domestic ingredients. 'I will suspend all television appearances on all programmes except for the ones that are already in production. I will focus all my energy and passion on Theborn Korea, as an entrepreneur, not a television personality,' Paik said in a five-minute clip. His announcement comes just a day after the hit competition series Culinary Class Wars (2024), which Paik fronted as a judge, won the top honour of Grand Prize in the TV category at the Baeksang Arts Awards on May 5. He did not specify whether he would be stepping away from the second season of Culinary Class Wars, which reportedly started filming in late March and is slated to premiere on Netflix later in 2025. Theborn Korea, which operates multiple restaurant and cafe franchises, is also accused of breaking several laws related to food and livestock sanitation. There was a claim that it violated South Korea's food safety law when it seemingly failed to refrigerate meat used at a barbecue festival in 2023. It also allegedly used a pesticide sprayer to dispense sauce on the barbecue meats at the same festival, though it maintains that it acted in accordance with the law. Paik said he is to be held accountable for all the accusations related to quality and hygiene issues of the company's products. He said he would treat 2025 as a 'new founding year' for the company, which was started in 1994, and dedicate himself to reforming the company and its corporate culture. He added that he would launch an additional large-scale subsidy plan for franchise owners under Theborn Korea. The company has a presence in Singapore with food establishments such as Bornga, Paik's Noodle, Paik's Bibim and Paik's Coffee. Paik had previously pledged five billion won (S$4.62 million) to help franchise owners hit by the recent controversy, including exempting them from royalty fees for three months. Separately, a former television producer claimed that Paik made unreasonable demands while starring in the variety series My Little Television (2015 to 2017), by insisting on working with writers he picked and pushing out cast members he disliked. While he did not directly name My Little Television, he referenced allegations of him abusing his power on set. He said: 'If my words or actions hurt anyone during production, that is entirely my fault. I should have remained humble, especially after receiving so much support.' THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Additional reporting by Jan Lee Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Netflix's Culinary Class Wars judge Paik Jong-won to halt all TV appearances amid controversies
Paik Jong-won, judge on Netflix series Culinary Class Wars and owner of 26 restaurant franchises, including Paik's Coffee, Paik's Bibim and Bornga, said on Tuesday (May 6) that he would be halting all TV appearances except for programmes he is currently filming, and focusing entirely on his franchise business Theborn Korea. The announcement comes amid the string of controversies the celebrity chef is facing, from alleged abuses of power to food code violations that began in late January this year. In a five-minute apology uploaded onto Paik's Youtube channel on Tuesday, he said in Korean: 'We have apologised in writing at the general shareholders' meeting for the many issues and concerns that have been raised over a long period of time. But today, I would like to bow my head and speak directly to you through this video. 'I had some time for deep reflection and have been looking at and reorganising the entire organisation in relation to various issues in the company and now I'm finally here,' he said. Paik added that he and his team were working to identify the root causes of all issues, including food quality, safety and festival hygiene to make improvements one by one. In the celebrity chef's most serious allegation, Paik was accused for violating country-of-origin labelling laws in its Paik-seok doenjang, a soya bean paste produced by Theborn Korea, an F&B company he founded, that was advertised as domestically made but allegedly contained Chinese fermented paste. Other accusations about product quality include low pork content in Theborn Korea's ham and minimal tangerine used in a tangerine beer launched by Theborn Korea's affiliate franchise Yeondon Ball Katsu. 'All the problems are my fault,' admitted South Korea's most prominent celebrity chef-businessman. Paik also addressed the allegations of his power abuse on staff. In his most recent controversy, on Apr 21 this year, former TV producer Kim Jae-hwan accused Paik of abusing his power towards staff on the 2015 live competition show My Little Television. Kim said that Paik began 'making unreasonable demands' and 'insisted that only his designated writers and filming teams be included in the programme'. He also alleged that behind the scenes, Paik would remove cast members he did not like, which producers had to apologise for on behalf of the chef. Paik said in his apology: 'I am well aware that there have been concerns about my concurrent broadcasting activities as a representative of a listed company, and that there have even been recent reports of a fearsome desire to bully others. This is also my fault. I am also taking seriously the intentions of those who criticise. 'If our words or actions hurt someone in the process of creating good broadcast content, it is my responsibility and my fault. I should have been more humble as I received so much love. I bow my head in apology.' The celebrity chef-businessman added: 'From now on, I will stop broadcasting activities except for the programmes I am currently filming. 'Now, as Paik Jong-won, a businessman and not a broadcaster, I will focus all my passion and energy on the growth of Theborn Korea and the development of our store owners. We will do our best to restore trust in the company and help it expand into the global stage.' Paik is still scheduled to appear in the second season of Netflix's Culinary Class Wars, with filming reportedly already underway, as well as in the third season of South Korean TV network tvN's The Genius Paik, where he opens Korean restaurants in foreign countries where few people know his name or Korean cuisine. His upcoming show Chef Of Antarctica is also set for release this year. 'I would like to once again apologise to everyone who was disappointed in me,' Paik said. 'I vividly remember the excitement I felt the day I first opened my own small shop and the heavy sense of responsibility I felt on the first day of Theborn Korea listing. With that original intention engraved in my heart, I will once again start from the beginning, looking only at the store owners, shareholders and customers.'
Independent Singapore
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Independent Singapore
Paik Jong-won of 'Culinary Class Wars' is charged with workplace harassment and breaking food laws
KOREA: According to New Straits Times, Paik Jong-won, a Korean celebrity chef and food-and-beverage mogul has run into problems, accused of workplace abuse and violations of food regulations. Paik, 58, is known for his Netflix show, 'Culinary Class Wars', and his culinary empire. Photo: Instagram/Paik Jong-won He has been reported to authorities for alleged breaches of country-of-origin labelling laws. His company, Theborn Korea, allegedly put wrong labels on its soybean paste, making it seem local when it actually used imported stuff. Breaking the law Theborn Korea is also being probed for allegedly making the soybean paste in a protected farming zone. Companies are not supposed to use ingredients from overseas in those areas. That is against the law. The chef's culinary offerings are also in trouble. His range of canned ham or luncheon meat contains less meat but is priced higher than the industry leader, Spam. His tangerine beer has also stirred controversy for its purportedly minimal tangerine content. Other than food-related problems, a possible safety breach has been brought to light by a revived YouTube video. Violation of gas safety laws Netizens pointed out that in an old video, he had a gas cylinder way too close to an open brazier in his test kitchen. Apparently, that's a violation of South Korea's gas safety laws and could result in hefty penalties. The issues go beyond just regulatory matters. A former producer from the South Korean broadcaster MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation) has recently accused Paik of workplace power abuse during his time on the variety series, My Little Television (which aired from 2015 to 2017). Workplace issues The former producer, Kim Jae-hwan, went on YouTube and said that the chef was really particular about who he worked with. Apparently, he insisted on personally choosing all the writers and the filming crew. He exerted influence to remove cast members he disliked, forcing producers to apologise to those affected. Someone came to Paik's defence — a TV director who formerly collaborated with him. In an interview with South Korean media outlet Korea Economic Daily, the director shared that there was no misconduct during their professional relationship. Despite his problems, Paik is still a pretty big deal in the South Korean entertainment world. He's apparently got quite a few projects still in the works. Netflix declined to comment on Paik's continued involvement in 'Culinary Class Wars'. The chef is slated to appear in the second season. Paik will also appear in the third season of The Genius Paik, a reality show on tvN, in which he guides a group of famous people in running a restaurant overseas. There was a picture going around online on April 27, supposedly showing Paik filming his new show in France. But the TV station, tvN, hasn't actually said if he's really part of it. Postponed show It looks like all the recent talk has had an effect. Paik's new programme, 'Chef Of Antarctica', where he cooks for researchers down at the South Pole, has been postponed by MBC. 'Chef of Antarctica' also features Suho from Exo. It was slated to premiere in April. Filming for the show concluded by the end of 2024. Korean TV station MBC denied rumours that Paik's controversies are the reason for the delay. The TV station attributed it to the special news broadcasts and upcoming South Korean presidential election.
