Allegations of "Selling Famous Oyster Sauce Diluted with Water"
The Born Korea Responds: "That Sauce Makes Up Only 17%"
Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea, is cooking using the 'Baek Jong-won All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce.' YouTube channel 'Baek Jong-won'
The Born Korea, led by CEO Baek Jong-won, has issued a clarification denying allegations that it "sells other companies' sauce products diluted with water at high prices." While it is true that pre-made products are included, they explained that the sauce is developed by blending other ingredients.
Recently, online claims have surfaced regarding The Born Korea’s ‘Baekcook All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce’ containing ‘Panda Oyster Sauce’ from the famous Hong Kong sauce brand ‘Lee Kum Kee,’ accusing the company of "just mixing water into a pre-made product and selling it."
According to The Born Korea’s own shopping mall, ‘The Born Mall,’ the all-purpose stir-fry sauce contains Hong Kong-made Panda Oyster Sauce. Panda Oyster Sauce is a flagship product of the well-known Hong Kong brand ‘Lee Kum Kee’ and can be easily purchased at major domestic supermarkets or online. Netizens pointed out that the all-purpose stir-fry sauce is priced higher than Panda Oyster Sauce, criticizing it as "selling a famous sauce diluted with water at a high price." The supermarket price for 100g of the all-purpose stir-fry sauce is 1,400 KRW, whereas Panda Oyster Sauce costs 860 KRW.
In response to these allegations, The Born Korea stated, "Panda Oyster Sauce accounts for about 17% of the total," and explained, "It is a sauce developed by mixing starch syrup, blended soy sauce, other minor ingredients, and purified water to best suit stir-fry dishes."
The all-purpose stir-fry sauce is a product that CEO Baek personally promoted on broadcasts. In 2017, on a TV program, CEO Baek introduced it as "my Chinese-style all-purpose sauce," creating a stir-fry sauce using oyster sauce, which he used in the process of cooking Chinese-style dishes, gaining attention. The following year, CEO Baek partnered with convenience store CU to launch a ready-to-eat meal using this sauce, and The Born Korea has since been selling it actively.
CEO Baek and The Born Korea have been continuously embroiled in controversies since early this year. Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, the discounted ‘Baek Ham Gift Set’ was priced higher than the industry’s top product, sparking accusations of "commercial tactics," and the fruit beer ‘Gamgyul Oreum’ released by The Born Korea’s franchise Yeondon Bolkatsu faced criticism for insufficient content.
Additionally, amid ongoing noise surrounding The Born Korea, including allegations of violations of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Safety Management and Business Act, the Farmland Act, and the Food Sanitation Act, CEO Baek issued two apology statements on the 13th and 19th of this month. Through the company’s website, CEO Baek said, "I sincerely apologize once again for causing disappointment and concern due to the successive issues related to me," and added, "All employees of The Born Korea, including myself, are taking the current situation seriously and are fully committed to company-wide innovation and efforts."
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