Chef Paik Jong-Won to move away from the television to concentrate on scandal hit Thorn Korea

Paik Jong-Won, famous restaurateur and Star Judge of the Netflix series “Culinary Class Wars” (2024), announced on Tuesday that he will resign from all television appearances.
The decision occurs after he and his company Thorn Korea had confronted an increased controversy about product labeling, food safety and the alleged abuse of power at the beginning of this year. The chef's announcement is made less than a year after his company was brought to the stock exchange in November 2024.


“From now on, I will dedicate all of my energy and passion to Thorn Korea's growth as a businessman, not as a TV personality,” said Paik in an explanation that was published on Tuesday through his company. It was his third public apology this year.
A five-minute video entitled “Start from the beginning” (translated) was uploaded to Paik's official YouTube channel on the same day. In the video, Paik addressed the numerous allegations against him and his company at the beginning of this year.
“I have already apologized in writing and during a shareholder seat, but today I would like to express my regret directly to face,” said Paik.
“We identify the main causes of all problems, including those that relate to quality, food safety and festival hygiene, and we are working to solve them individually.”
Paik took over full responsibility and said: “All of these problems come from me.” He added that in 2025 he would treat the company as a “new year of foundation” and pursue fundamental changes.
He expressed special concern about franchisee.
“What hurts me the most is the desperate situation in which many of our franchise owners are confronted,” he said. “After the start of emergency aid measures, I visited business to hear directly from our partners. I am now decided not to leave a franchisee behind.”
Paik also reacted to the latest setbacks compared to his media presence, especially after allegations of abuse of power at radio.
“I understand the concerns about a listed CEO of the company, which also works as an entertainer,” he said. “I am also aware of the serious allegations that have recently appeared. If my words or actions do not injure anyone during the manufacture of shows, this is completely my fault. I should have remained humble, especially after I have received so much support.”
A former TV producer recently claimed on YouTube that Paik had used his influence to throw certain people on programs in which he appeared and to trigger the allegations of abuse of power in the entertainment industry.
In response to this, Paik said: “Apart from programs that are already in production in production, I will suspend all Broadcast activities. From now on, I will only concentrate on our franchisee, shareholders and customers and start from the start.”
At the beginning of this year, Paik published two excuses in terms of a number of controversy, including concerns about the quality of Theborn Korea products, the misunderstanding of ingredient jumps and improper treatment of ingredients and devices at public events.

The CEO of Thorn Korea and productive culinary personality, Paik Jong-Won, speaks on March 28 at the first shareholder of the company in the Seocho district in Southern Seoul. [YONHAP]

Last Friday, Thorn Korea presented a support plan of 5 billion WON ($ 3.6 million), which includes a three-month license fee for franchisee.
The company had listed at the KOSPI with an opening price of 34,000 WON per share with a market capitalization of around 743.6 billion won market capitalization. The market capitalization has been won over 397.17 billion since Tuesday, with the shares being traded at 2,695 at 11:10 a.m.
Start police investigations
In a separate case, the police opened an investigation into the allegations that Thorn Korea incorrectly advertised the origin of the ingredients in its products.
According to the police district Seoul Gangnam on Tuesday, Paik and Thorn Korea were booked for violation of food identification and the advertising law.
The investigation comes from a complaint submitted by the Gangnam district office in which the born Korea used Vietnamese shrimp in his Brei product and was also commissioned as “domestic” or “wildly colored” ingredients.
The police also check other allegations, including claims that a product made of Paik's coffee chain, Paik's coffee, was promoted with misleading information about the origin of its sweet potato filling. The authorities continue to investigate the allegations that the company has used cooking equipment in industrial quality at local festivals, but has applied it as food quality.

Translated from the Joongang Ilbo with generative AI and edited by Korea Joongang Daily Staff.
From Hyeon Ye-Seul [[email protected]]