Baek Jong-won, the CEO of The Born Korea, claimed that he had “received an inspection from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety” regarding the so-called ‘pesticide container juice’ controversy, but the Ministry stated that this claim is “completely false.”
On the 4th, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety responded to Baek's assertion that he had “received a safety assessment for the pesticide container” by stating, “We have confirmed the facts with the relevant departments,” and added, “We have never received a request for inspection, nor have we issued a safety component report for the pesticide container sprayer.”
Previously, Baek suggested the idea of using a pesticide container, which is not a food-grade device, to spray apple juice on meat at a festival in Hongseong, Chungcheongnam-do in 2023. At the festival, apple juice was indeed sprayed on meat using a pesticide container, raising concerns about potential violations of food hygiene laws.
The current food hygiene law prohibits the use of devices that do not meet the standards and specifications set by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and if they do not meet these standards, they must undergo review by a food testing and inspection agency designated by the Minister of Food and Drug Safety.
In this regard, Baek appeared on the YouTube channel of former MBC PD Kim Jae-hwan and claimed, “We used a new product, not a pesticide container that had been used for pesticides,” and “We requested an inspection from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and we have a safety component report.”
As the controversy spread, The Born Korea stated, “We have confirmed that there are no separate regulatory issues under current law,” but added, “As a result of discussions with the relevant department, we have been advised not to recommend its use and will not use it in the future.”
Baek Jong-won and The Born Korea have been embroiled in several controversies, including the high price controversy of the ‘Baek Ham Gift Set,’ the pesticide container juice controversy, violations of liquefied petroleum gas safety management and business laws, violations of building laws, and violations of origin labeling laws for stir-fried octopus at Hanshin Pocha. Additionally, there have been allegations regarding the use of plastic containers in microwaves and a ‘blacklist’ of employees at Saemaul Restaurant, and the police are currently conducting a total of 14 investigations into Baek and The Born Korea.
The controversy surrounding Baek Jong-won has raised alarms in the broadcasting industry.
The MBC documentary ‘Chef of Antarctica,’ which had already completed filming before Baek announced the suspension of his broadcasts, has not yet been scheduled for airing. Netflix’s ‘Black and White Chef 2’ and tvN’s ‘Business Genius Baek Sa-jang 3’ are also scheduled for release in the second half of the year, but there are reports that scheduling changes may occur if the controversy escalates.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
