First Episode Garners 1.8% Viewership
Paek Jongwon Cites "A Sense of Duty"
Public Reaction Remains Negative
Paek Jongwon, CEO of Theborn Korea, made a comeback on the 17th through MBC entertainment show "Chef of the Antarctic". Photo by MBC YouTube capture
Paek Jongwon, CEO of Theborn Korea, has returned to television. It has been six months since he announced a suspension of his broadcasting activities in May due to various controversies.
Paek explained that he returned to broadcasting out of a “sense of duty,” but public reaction has not been entirely positive. The public sentiment has soured as issues such as food hygiene controversies at Theborn Korea’s events and his attitude in past broadcasts have resurfaced. Attention is now focused on whether Paek will be able to regain public support and restore his positive influence through this program, in which he serves food to members at the Antarctic research base.
The first episode of MBC’s variety show “Climate Environment Project - Chef of the Antarctic,” which aired on the 17th, began with Paek explaining why he decided to visit the Antarctic research base. In a pre-interview with the production team, Paek said, “The climate is really serious right now. I was shocked this summer,” adding, “Antarctica is the starting point of climate change.”
Paek stated that he thought a lot about what he could do for the crew members who are enduring hardships for their research. Describing his return as “a kind of sense of duty,” Paek responded to the production team’s plan to visit areas requiring government approval, such as the King Sejong Station, by saying, “That makes me feel unnecessarily serious, and honestly, I did feel some pressure.”
Paek Jongmin, CEO of Theborn Korea, is attending Theborn Korea corporate briefing (IPO) held at Conrad Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on October 28, 2024.
"Broadcast Postponement" vs "Corporate Attack"... Controversy Even Before Paek Jongwon's Variety Show Return
Controversy surrounded Paek’s return to variety television even before the program aired. Some franchise owners and the National Franchisee Council (NFCC) raised issues with Paek’s return and demanded that MBC postpone the broadcast and delete his appearances from the show.
However, Theborn Korea issued an official statement in response. The company said, “We have so far responded conservatively to minimize harm to franchisees, but we have determined that we can no longer remain silent in the face of an organized ‘corporate attack’ orchestrated by the NFCC, some franchise owners, and closely affiliated YouTubers.”
The NFCC and the civic group People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy held a press conference in front of the MBC headquarters in Sangam-dong in protest. The council argued, “Paek used the public recognition he gained through broadcasting to aggressively expand his franchise business, which led to franchisees suffering from market oversaturation and declining sales, threatening their livelihoods.”
Meanwhile, the allegations against Paek for falsely labeling the origin of ingredients (a violation of the Food Labeling and Advertising Act) were cleared by police at the end of last month. However, Theborn Korea as a corporation and two staff members were found to have violated the law and were referred for prosecution without detention.
"It All Sounds Like Lies"... Can He Win Back Public Support?
Despite Paek’s interviews and the dismissal of some allegations, public reaction remains cold. Although it is fortunate that the legal risks have been resolved, many people now view his previous image as a young entrepreneur and a positive entertainer as deceptive.
Numerous posts about Paek’s variety show filming have appeared on various social networking services and online communities. One user commented, “He’s not even a chef, so why is he the Chef of the Antarctic? The producers are out of their minds, and every word and expression from him sounds like a lie, so I changed the channel.”
Other users also expressed skepticism, saying, “Isn’t he trying to win back public support before the broadcast of Black-and-White Chef 2?” and “If he knows he’s part of the problem, he should have taken a longer break or not filmed a variety show at all.”
Meanwhile, the first episode of “Chef of the Antarctic,” which aired on the 17th, recorded a viewership rating of 1.8% according to Nielsen Korea. As audiences have shifted to new media such as social networking services, ratings for terrestrial and cable TV have declined, but since a 5% rating is generally considered the benchmark for success, it can be said that viewers’ reactions are directly reflected in the ratings.
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