Paik Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea, has filed a letter seeking to be excused from testifying at a National Assembly hearing before the Public Administration and Security Committee.
According to MTN News on the 29th, Paik notified the committee ahead of his scheduled appearance on the 30th that he cannot attend due to “an important overseas itinerary directly tied to the national push to globalize K-food and expand exports of Korean sauces.” He also cited ongoing agreements with overseas partners on global expansion, on-site inspections for a K-Town project, and plans to ramp up international openings for key brands.
Earlier this month, the committee summoned Paik as a witness to question him over allegations tied to local festivals and potential legal violations.
Had he appeared, it would have been his first National Assembly hearing since he served as a reference witness in 2018 before the Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee. Interest was high amid a string of issues surrounding Paik and his businesses, including product-quality disputes, alleged violations of the Farmland Act, country-of-origin labeling errors, a “staff blacklist” board on the Saemaeul Restaurant online forum, and the use of pesticide sprayers.
In response, the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Hae-sik, who had requested Paik’s testimony, told the outlet it was “regrettable” that he chose not to appear, adding, “He could have addressed the public head-on, but by refusing to attend he only fuels the controversies around him.”
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)