Jeongagyeop Demands Postponement of "Chef of Antarctica" Broadcast
Theborn Korea: "Unilateral Claims by a Few Franchisees"
As the MBC variety show "Chef of Antarctica," featuring Paek Jongmin, CEO of Theborn Korea, is scheduled to air on the 17th, controversy has arisen. Some franchise owners and the National Franchise Owners’ Association (Jeongagyeop) have raised objections to CEO Paek’s return to broadcasting, demanding that MBC postpone the airing of "Chef of Antarctica" and delete his appearance from the show. In response, Theborn Korea has strongly refuted these claims, stating, "This is nothing more than the unilateral assertion of a very small number of franchisees."
On the 11th, Theborn Korea released an official statement, saying, "Although we have responded conservatively so far to minimize harm to franchise owners, we have determined that we can no longer remain silent in the face of an organized campaign to undermine our company, orchestrated by Jeongagyeop, a few franchisees, and closely associated YouTubers." On the same day, Jeongagyeop, along with the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, held a press conference in front of MBC headquarters in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, demanding that MBC either postpone the initial broadcast of "Chef of Antarctica" on the 17th or remove CEO Paek’s scenes from the show. The association argued, "CEO Paek leveraged the public recognition he gained through broadcasting to aggressively expand the franchise business, which has resulted in franchisees suffering from market oversaturation and declining sales, threatening their livelihoods."
In response, Theborn Korea countered, "This is simply the unilateral claim of five franchisees from a specific brand out of approximately 3,000 franchise locations, along with the support of Jeongagyeop," and added, "They are manipulating the media by presenting their opinions as if they represent all franchise owners." The company further stated, "Jeongagyeop is sensationalizing a show that has already been produced for political and commercial purposes, attempting to portray Theborn Korea as a 'bad company.' They are even exerting unreasonable pressure by demanding that compensation be paid only to the five franchisees affiliated with Jeongagyeop."
Theborn Korea continued, "This distorted public opinion campaign is harming not only CEO Paek but also the many franchisees who diligently run their businesses," and emphasized, "Stop distorting the facts or making unreasonable demands that harass both the company and franchise owners." The company concluded, "We have sincerely responded to all allegations and investigations raised this year, and are working to improve any shortcomings. Moving forward, we will continue to prioritize mutually beneficial management."
Meanwhile, CEO Paek had been under investigation for allegedly mislabeling the origin of product ingredients (in violation of the Food Labeling and Advertising Act), but was cleared of all charges by the police at the end of last month. However, during this process, Theborn Korea as a corporation and two staff members were found to be culpable and were sent to prosecutors without detention.
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