[Asia Exclusive] Research and Development from Pizza to Makgeolli... Versatile Baek Jong-won

"Although a Representative of a Dining Franchise, I Wish to Be Called a 'Food Explorer'"
In Response to 'Allegations of Neighborhood Market Infringement,' "Consideration Also Given to Market Revitalization"

Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea.

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] From a dining researcher to an entrepreneur, planner, and broadcaster, CEO Baek Jong-won is truly a versatile talent. Although Baek is the CEO of a global dining company, he still wants to be called a ‘food explorer.’ With boundless passion for food, he continuously explores, researches, develops, and advances related businesses.

He was born on September 4, 1966, in Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do, and graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in Social Welfare. After completing his military service as an artillery officer, he took his first step into the dining industry by opening ‘Wonjo Ssambapjip’ in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam, Seoul, in 1993. Having developed thinly sliced pork belly (Daepae Samgyeopsal) in 1993 and successfully running Wonjo Ssambapjip, he officially entered the business world by establishing The Born Korea corporation in 1994.

He achieved continuous success with every brand he launched, including ‘Hanshin Pocha’ in 1998, ‘Saemaeul Sikdang’ in 2005, and ‘Hong Kong Banjeom 0410’ the following year.

In particular, ‘Paik’s Coffee’ (Paekdabang), which started in 2006 and currently has the most franchise stores under The Born Korea, is popular for its cost-effective caf? menu boasting high quality at reasonable prices. With about 1,000 franchise stores, it is the brand with the largest number of franchises within The Born Korea.

CEO Baek cites the active development of new products as one of the key factors behind Paik’s Coffee’s success. It is said that employees from related departments visit him more than three times a week to report on new products under development and seek approval, keeping him busy.

Additionally, by employing various delivery promotions and O2O (Online to Offline) strategies, he has improved sales at existing franchise stores. Through a multi-brand strategy, he realizes economies of scale, enhances the purchasing competitiveness of existing franchisees, and expands their brand selection options.

CEO Baek is also continuously expanding into new areas by testing products such as pizza and Makgeolli.

‘Paik Boy Pizza,’ launched at the end of last year, is a low-cost pizza brand specializing in takeout and delivery. After about a year of planning, various tests are currently underway with franchise business in mind. The price of a regular-sized pizza is in the 10,000 KRW range. A pilot store has been opened in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, an area densely populated by single-person households, to evaluate business feasibility. Going forward, based on consumer feedback, the number of pizza varieties will be expanded to two or three, and the sizes will be increased to two, gradually scaling up operations.

CEO Baek is also putting considerable effort into the traditional liquor ‘Baekgeolli’ business. After unveiling Baekgeolli, a Makgeolli he brewed himself last year, he also filmed a talk show introducing traditional liquor on the online streaming service Netflix.

To produce Baekgeolli, CEO Baek even established a brewery in Seoul, but it is not yet officially on sale and is currently provided only in tasting form to acquaintances discreetly.

Some express concerns that since CEO Baek already manages over 20 dining franchise brands, there might be controversy over encroachment on small traditional liquor market businesses in local neighborhoods. However, there are also expectations that the traditionally stagnant traditional liquor market could be revitalized by CEO Baek’s Baekgeolli business, improving the overall market atmosphere. Therefore, CEO Baek intends to promote Baekgeolli sales when market conditions permit.