Culinary expert and entrepreneur Baek Jong-won has publicly addressed the recent wave of negative controversies surrounding his business operations.
Recently, Baek's company, The Born Korea, has been embroiled in a series of scandals, including inappropriate behavior by employees, hygiene issues at festival sites, price inflation of products, and allegations of mislabeling product origins.
In response, The Born Korea released a lengthy statement on the 15th, beginning with the words, "The Born Korea. We are changing everything. We are committed to regaining customer trust through a comprehensive overhaul of our organization and operations." The statement expressed a deep sense of responsibility for the recent issues, including employee misconduct and hygiene management at events, and emphasized the company's efforts to fundamentally innovate its corporate culture and operational systems.
The company pledged to prioritize food safety and ethical management, highlighting ongoing reforms across both internal systems and external operations. They also announced the formation of a dedicated team for audit and risk management, reporting directly to the CEO.
Previously, The Born Korea faced backlash over pricing controversies related to canned ham, which was just the beginning of a series of public relations challenges.
Initially, Baek Jong-won was set to appear on the MBC television show 'Chef of Antarctica' in mid-April, but the premiere was postponed. While some speculated that the delay was due to the negative press surrounding Baek, the show's producers clarified that the rescheduling was due to breaking news coverage and the early presidential election climate.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)