"Truly Overwhelming Betrayal, Very Disappointed"... Baek Jong-won Reported by Yesan Market Merchants

Rebutting 'Large Payment' Allegations on YouTube Channel
"If They Wanted to Make Money, They Would Have Opened Direct Stores" Anger

"Let me be clear. The sauces and some products we supply and send are provided to other franchise stores in exactly the same way."

Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea, who is carrying out the 'Yesan Market Project,' expressed his disappointment after being reported to the National Petition Board by merchants of Yesan Market. On the 18th, through a video of a meeting with merchants held on the 29th of last month, Baek said, "There are those who have been cooperative, but there are also uncooperative ones," sharing his story.

"I hate hearing 'They did that just to make money'... Prices are even lower than the minimum unit price"

[Image source=Baek Jong-won YouTube channel capture]

Baek said, "I don't know who it was, but someone posted on the National Petition Board that 'The Born Korea is forcibly selling sauces and supplied products at high prices.' I want to make it clear because I’m afraid people will say, 'Those guys did that just to make money.' I deny that suspicion. However, there must be some products that need to be specially sent here, and the purchasing manager said, 'Even if a knife is at my throat, the price is lower than the minimum unit price,'" he added.

He lamented, "Let me vent once. I feel very hurt. From my perspective, it’s a tremendous betrayal." He raised his voice, saying, "Do you think I developed the menu just to sell sauces? If possible, I wanted to provide our cherished sauces so that novice owners could easily cook."

He also emphasized, "If I wanted to make money, I would have hired staff and opened directly managed stores. I feel sorry for our employees. If employees were in the places where the owners should be, things would have gone much better."

He continued, "I also looked ahead in my own way. It’s not good just to fill the stomachs of our family. I wanted to show that anyone can have an opportunity even without any connection to Baek Jong-won," adding, "I was told by the county office staff that even if I asked who it was, they didn’t know because it was kept secret."

"Already setting off fireworks in less than a year?" Harsh words to merchants

Baek told the merchants, "If there is a store where the owner says, 'I open and close the store,' raise your hand," and said, "It’s a grateful matter to hire one more person when you absolutely cannot handle it yourself. But if you hire part-time workers so you can have free time, isn’t that like setting off fireworks and drinking champagne already in less than a year?"

He said, "Now, owners should make their own judgments. From now on, no matter what problems arise, we will just handle them according to the principles," emphasizing, "The past few months were about cheering you on, hoping you would do well, but now it’s a warning. If you collapse here, all the investments made so far will be lost. I am also in a situation where I have no choice but to make decisions."

Baek Jong-won from Yesan invests '2 to 3 billion KRW' to revive the market

A crowded Yesan Market.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Baek, whose hometown is Yesan, has been conducting a 'Old Downtown Area Win-Win Project' with the county since 2019, based on the declining Yesan Market. He decorated Yesan Market with a time-travel concept to the 1960s and 1970s, developed menus using local specialties, and even provided consulting to market merchants, rebirthing the market with a new image.

As the recognition and brand value of Yesan Market increased, showing signs of rent hikes, Baek directly purchased some of the commercial properties. Previously, he revealed, "I have spent almost 2 to 3 billion KRW on Yesan Market."