“Baek Jong-won’s The Born Korea is once again at the center of controversy over allegations of violating the Food Sanitation Act.
According to the dining industry on the 16th, claims have emerged on online communities that The Born Korea used tools unsuitable for food at the Hongseong Global BBQ Festival in November 2023.
In a video posted on Baek Jong-won’s YouTube channel, a person believed to be a The Born Korea employee was seen spraying apple juice with a pesticide sprayer, and the BBQ grill appeared to be made from construction materials.
The Born Korea released a statement saying they ‘complied with the Food Sanitation Act standards’ but would ‘thoroughly review all aspects and implement improvements.’
Regarding the use of the pesticide sprayer, they clarified, ‘While there is no current legal regulation on this, after consultation with the relevant department, we have been advised to avoid its use and plan not to use it in the future.’
As for the BBQ grill setup, they mentioned it was ‘manufactured with POSCO’s stainless steel 304, posing no food safety issues,’ and that ‘safety inspection completion’ promotional materials were displayed at the festival for consumer information.
Recently, controversies regarding Baek Jong-won and The Born Korea have persisted. The National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service reported The Born Korea for falsely labeling the origin of soy sauce, soybean paste, and other agricultural products, leading to criminal charges. Although the product containers were correctly labeled, the online shopping mall falsely listed foreign ingredients as domestic, according to the management service.
Additionally, allegations of violation of the Farmland Act, price inflation of ‘Ppaekham,’ and issues with ingredient content in tangerine beer have placed them under scrutiny.”