"Just do it if you're going to do it." Amid ongoing criticism that "Studio Ojaena" and director Kim Jae-hwan crossed the line while raising allegations of broadcasting abuse against Paik Jong-won of Theborn Korea, Paik Jong-won, the CEO of Theborn Korea, also expressed his feelings of unfairness.
On the 13th, CEO Paik Jong-won said in a phone call with OSEN, "At first, they kept talking about the franchise owners, so I mentioned the increase in support funds and reiterated that I would show a responsible face as stated in the apology letter and asked for them to keep an eye on it. However, even then, they continued to speak about 'abuse,' which made me think this is not right."
Director Kim Jae-hwan, who directed "True Tasting Show," publicly released a related video through the YouTube channel "Studio Ojaena" (abbreviated as Ojaena) in the morning, claiming to have had an exclusive interview with CEO Paik Jong-won. In the video, director Kim Jae-hwan and the side of "Ojaena" repeatedly raised allegations against CEO Paik Jong-won regarding "broadcasting abuse."
The main allegations raised by the side of "Ojaena" were two-fold: that CEO Paik Jong-won prevented the appearance of Professor A, an authority on taste expression, on a broadcast, and that the background of this was a reasonable criticism of the SBS entertainment program "Street Food Fighter," which Paik Jong-won was passionately participating in.
Furthermore, the side of "Ojaena" emphasized that CEO Paik Jong-won blocked singer Kim Ho-jung's SBS appearance, who was popular due to "Mr. Trot." Despite "Street Food Fighter" struggling with ratings against competitive programs like the derivation program "Love Call Center," when SBS recruited Kim Ho-jung for another program, CEO Paik Jong-won reportedly protested.
However, in the video, CEO Paik Jong-won denied the related allegations. Regarding the request to prohibit Professor A's appearance, he said, "When the producer asked 'Does this participant fit well?' I could respond with 'Well, I don't know.' And as for the request to prohibit an appearance, even a network president can't do that," expressing his feelings of unfairness. He acknowledged that regarding Kim Ho-jung, he had once protested the treatment of participants from competitive programs while filming "Street Food Fighter" as well as "Taste of Place," but he still denied the allegations of "abuse."
In relation to this, CEO Paik Jong-won also expressed his feelings of unfairness to OSEN. He revealed in a phone conversation with OSEN, "Though it was labeled as an interview, I felt perplexed when director Kim Jae-hwan pointed a camera at me right after I left the airport. I was told that they requested an interview with Theborn Korea but were unable to connect, but our staff said they didn't receive any contact. So I suggested we meet separately, and we talked for over 4 hours at Theborn Korea headquarters."
He continued, "At first, they kept talking about the franchise owners, so I discussed the increase in support funds and reiterated that I would show a responsible face as stated in the apology letter, asking them to keep an eye on it. However, this time, they continued to talk about 'abuse.' I had already made commitments to appearances, and abandoning those and backing out on the prepared production team—that is abuse, isn't it? I thought this is not right."
CEO Paik Jong-won stated, "I am also a person, so I can't always speak properly and politely. I acknowledge that there are shortcomings in my character. However, it is not 'abuse.' Producers naturally listen to opinions about whether participants are compatible with each other or not. At that time, I could personally express that I like or dislike a person, and saying that it is 'abuse' when anyone says that was perplexing to me."
Most importantly, he said, "Regarding Kim Ho-jung, it's the same. Not only in 'Street Food Fighter' but also on SBS, how difficult it was to see a competitor like 'Mr. Trot' and its derivative programs, and how can anyone think positively about bringing in a competitor's participant? The program's production team couldn't even speak out, and acknowledging their disappointment is not 'abuse,' is it?"
In fact, during the over 4 hours of conversation shown in the video from "Ojaena," he continuously denied the allegations of 'abuse' and emphasized his commitment to doing his best to compensate the franchise owners for their damages. However, he expressed his perplexity about the continuous predictions of more YouTube videos.
Initially, the side of "Ojaena" drew attention with critical content regarding Theborn Korea's management policies and operational realities, exceeding 1 million views. However, even after CEO Paik Jong-won and Theborn Korea released an apology letter, the focus continues on the allegations of 'abuse' directed towards CEO Paik Jong-won personally. Consequently, voices of concern are rising, saying things like "Just do it if you're going to do it," "It was good he prevented Kim Ho-jung from appearing," "This is foresight," and "It seems to be crossing the line now."
[Photo] OSEN DB, YouTube source.
[OSEN]