Baek Jong-won's The Born Korea Under Legal Scrutiny for Origin Violations

Baek Jong-won (59), the CEO of the restaurant franchise The Born Korea, has been referred to the prosecution for violating the Origin Marking Act. This marks the first instance of legal action against the company amid various allegations. On June 4, the Special Judicial Police of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service submitted a recommendation for prosecution to the Seoul Western District Prosecutor's Office, which specializes in food and drug safety cases.

The Born Korea is accused of advertising its main ingredients as domestically sourced while actually using products from China or other imports. For instance, their flagship product, ‘Baek Jong-won's Baekseok Doenjang,’ was marketed as being made using traditional Korean methods, but it was found to contain Chinese-modified meju and imported soybeans and flour.

Additionally, the ‘Hanshin Pocha Nakji Bokkeum’ was promoted as using domestic garlic, yet it included Chinese garlic in its actual ingredients. The ‘Deopjuk’ product also claimed to use ‘domestic kelp, shrimp, and anchovies,’ but it was confirmed to contain shrimp sourced from Vietnam.

Earlier in March, the Special Judicial Police issued a corrective order for the deletion and modification of labels on three products, including soy sauce and doenjang. In response, Baek announced at a regular shareholders' meeting that the company would strengthen its origin management system, collaborate with external experts to enhance transparency, and establish an effective internal monitoring system.

Baek and The Born Korea are also under investigation for other allegations. The police are looking into 14 cases, including violations of the Food Labeling and Advertising Act for falsely advertising the origin of certain products like ‘Chewy Sweet Potato Bread’ and for manufacturing and supplying chicken bone frying equipment without approval, violating food hygiene laws.