"Why Is Raw Meat on the Floor of the Delivery Truck?" Baek Jong-won's Company Reported Again... Police Begin Internal Investigation

Yesan Police Also Investigating Farmland Act Violations
"Raw Meat Left at Room Temperature" Reported to the National Police Agency's Civil Petition Portal

In 2023, the organizers of the 'Hongseong Global Barbecue Festival' are under suspicion of transporting raw meat left at room temperature. Online community

The police have launched a preliminary investigation after hygiene concerns arose regarding the '2023 Hongseong Global BBQ Festival,' which was planned by The Born Korea. This followed a report submitted to the National Police Agency's Civil Petition Portal stating that the organizers transported raw meat at room temperature in a cargo truck during the festival.

On the 16th, the Hongseong Police Station in Chungnam confirmed that they are verifying the facts concerning the allegation that the organizers of the '2023 Hongseong Global BBQ Festival,' planned by The Born Korea, transported raw meat at room temperature in a cargo truck.

The suspicion spread after photos showing raw meat being loaded onto a truck at the festival were shared on online communities on the 10th. The original poster pointed out that despite the temperature nearing 25 degrees Celsius, the raw meat was transported at room temperature using a regular cargo truck rather than a refrigerated vehicle at the festival organized by The Born Korea.

The police stated, "The raw meat transportation company appears to be a partner of The Born Korea," and added, "We received the report the day before and plan to first verify the facts with the transportation company."

Meanwhile, The Born Korea is also under investigation by the Yesan Police Station regarding allegations of violating the Farmland Act.

Production facilities located in agricultural promotion zones are required to produce food using domestic agricultural products, but there have been allegations through the National Police Agency's Civil Petition Portal that The Born Korea's Baekseok factory made doenjang (fermented soybean paste) using imported soybeans.

Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea, is giving a presentation at The Born Korea corporate briefing held at the Conrad Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of October 28 last year. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

In response, The Born Korea stated in a press release, "We have immediately activated a dedicated department to completely overhaul our food safety and hygiene management system, reinforced it with external experts, and are redesigning all on-site processes from the ground up." They promised, "We will strengthen safety certification procedures for cooking equipment and the entire food processing process, and fully improve refrigerated and frozen transportation and storage facilities to establish a regional platform that meets safety standards."

Amid various controversies, The Born Korea issued an official statement on their website on the 15th, saying, "We prioritize ethical management and food safety as our highest values and are undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of internal systems and external operations," adding, "We will devote all efforts to restoring customer trust through thorough organizational and operational innovation."

To this end, they immediately excluded the employee involved in the controversial drinking party interview from work and emphasized that strict measures will be taken based on the results of investigations by external agencies. They also pledged to conduct intensive training programs to instill ethics and responsibility awareness among all executives and employees. They established an audit and risk management team directly under the CEO and created a public relations team to handle external communications.

Regarding the various hygiene controversies, they stated that a dedicated department overseeing food safety, hygiene, and quality management was immediately activated, and external experts were reinforced to redesign all on-site processes from the ground up. They also plan to strengthen safety certification procedures for cooking equipment and the entire food processing process.

Concerning the allegation that raw meat was left at room temperature during the Hongseong BBQ Festival, they pledged to fully improve refrigerated and frozen transportation and storage facilities to establish a regional festival platform that meets safety standards.