Scene of Baek Jong-won Reported... "Cooking with Oil Boiling Next to Gas Cylinder"

Baek Jong-won Faces Accusations of Violating the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Act
Video Shows Cooking Indoors with High-Pressure Gas Cylinder, Leading to Public Complaint

A cooking video uploaded in May last year on the YouTube channel 'Baek Jong Won PAIK JONG WON'. Cooking is being done next to a gas cylinder. Photo by Baek Jong Won

Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea, uploaded a video on YouTube cooking indoors with a high-pressure gas cylinder, which led to a report filed on the National Petition Portal accusing him of violating the Liquefied Petroleum (LP) Gas Act.

Earlier, in May last year, Baek uploaded a video on his YouTube channel 'Baek Jong-won PAIK JONG WON' showing the development of a new menu for his franchise ‘Baeks Beer’. In the video, Baek cooked by boiling oil and frying chicken bones next to an LP gas cylinder installed in the kitchen.

A netizen who saw the video filed a complaint on the National Petition Portal on the 2nd, stating, “The gas cylinder is plainly placed indoors, right next to the cooking equipment,” and added, “This violates both the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Act and the safety regulations set by the fire authorities.” The complainant pointed out, “If a fire breaks out, the entire building could be destroyed. It seems necessary to change the cooking environment.”

According to Article 69 of the Enforcement Rules of the Safety Management and Business Act for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, gas cylinders must be placed outdoors in well-ventilated areas. Violations may result in fines of up to 40 million KRW imposed by the licensing or registration authorities.

A cooking video uploaded in May last year on the YouTube channel 'Baek Jong Won PAIK JONG WON'. Photo by Baek Jong Won

Meanwhile, this complaint was raised amid a recent controversy over the price of canned ham ‘Baek Ham Gift Set’ that Baek revealed for the Lunar New Year. On the 17th of last month, Baek promoted on YouTube that The Born Korea was selling the ‘Baek Ham’ gift set at a 45% discount from the regular price of 51,900 KRW to 28,500 KRW. Although the gift set sold out at the time, some consumers later suspected that the regular price was excessively inflated and that the discount was a marketing tactic.

In response to these suspicions, Baek emphasized on YouTube that the product was intended to support Korean pork farmers, stating, “Compared to competitors who mass-produce, we still produce in small quantities, so the cost difference is significant,” and explained, “We set the regular price reasonably considering production costs and distribution margins.”