March 13, Baek Jong Won, the CEO of The Born Korea and a well-known television personality, has been formally indicted on charges of violating the Country of Origin Labeling Act. Authorities have launched an investigation into multiple alleged violations linked to The Born Korea's products.
According to the Seoul Office of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service’s Special Judicial Police, Baek has been indicted on two counts of breaching the Country of Origin Labeling Act. The investigation, confirmed on March 13, centers on two products: Baek Jong Won’s Baekseok Doenjang (fermented soybean paste) and Hanshin Pocha’s stir-fried octopus dish.
Baekseok Doenjang, produced at The Born Korea’s Baekseok factory, has been promoted as a domestic product. However, ingredient analysis revealed that the paste contains imported ingredients such as Chinese modified meju (fermented soybean blocks), soybeans from the U.S., Canada, and Australia, and wheat flour from the U.S. and Australia. Despite marketing the product as “Korean-made,” its core ingredients were sourced from abroad.
The Baekseok factory's use of imported ingredients has drawn further criticism due to its location in an Agricultural Promotion Zone, which legally restricts facilities to processing only domestically produced agricultural and marine products. Violating this regulation could result in imprisonment for up to five years or fines of up to 50 million KRW (approximately $34,435) under Article 59 of the Farmland Act.
Additionally, Hanshin Pocha’s stir-fried octopus dish, sold through The Born Korea’s online shopping platform The Born Mall, was advertised as containing domestically sourced green onions, onions, and garlic. However, ingredient analysis revealed that Chinese garlic was used instead. Notably, The Born Korea is only responsible for distributing this product, rather than its production.
If Baek Jong Won is found guilty, he could face up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million KRW (approximately $68,800) under the Act on Labeling of Agricultural and Fishery Products.
A whistleblower highlighted Baek’s past comments on the importance of transparent labeling. “Baek Jong Won himself pointed out issues with a restaurant’s renewal of a health certificate and its failure to label ingredients properly on the show ‘Alley Restaurant.’ The fact that he has violated these same rules for the past decade is completely unacceptable,” the source stated.
The whistleblower further added, “He has long advocated for supporting local farmers, yet his actions contradict his words. He must publicly apologize for his hypocrisy.”
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