Actor Lee Jang-woo is at the center of heated debate over unpaid food ingredient bills at Hoseokchon, a sundae soup restaurant he operates.
Known as the "flour prince" and rising as a new star in the restaurant industry, Lee Jang-woo has been embroiled in a controversy over unpaid ingredient bills. It has been reported that the sundae soup restaurant operated by Lee Jang-woo has not paid 40 million won for pork byproducts for eight months.
On the 17th, according to a Dispatch report, A, who runs a livestock product distribution company in Cheonan, claimed that from November 2023 he supplied pork heads, intestines and other byproducts to the sundae soup restaurant operated by Lee Jang-woo, but payments were not settled on time. The unpaid amount swelled to as much as 64 million won, and he said that more than about 40 million won is still overdue.
A said he continued the transaction in good faith because Lee Jang-woo personally came down to Cheonan to check the meat quality and showed enthusiasm, but he criticized that even while payments were delayed, Lee Jang-woo was conducting large-scale promotions through broadcasts and YouTube.
Regarding this, Lee Jang-woo's agency HUNUS Entertainment said, "Lee Jang-woo participates as a shareholder and in the operation of Hoseokchon. Hoseokchon has already paid the full delivery fees to the contracted supplier Mujin Co., Ltd., and the problem occurred afterward when Mujin failed to pay company B," adding, "There is no direct contractual relationship between company B and Hoseokchon or actor Lee Jang-woo, and the reports suggesting that actor Lee Jang-woo did not pay the fees are not true. The claim in some reports that 'Mujin was the owner of Hoseokchon' is also untrue; Mujin has never held equity in Hoseokchon. Actor Lee Jang-woo has no connection with Mujin."
Lee Jang-woo's side also disclosed records showing that Hoseokchon paid Mujin the fees. Lee Jang-woo's side explained, "However, within this transaction structure, we feel moral responsibility for not sufficiently checking whether the intermediary company fulfilled its obligations," and regarding the supplier's SNS messages, they said, "It is true that the messages were not checked in a timely manner, but we clearly state that this was not intentionally evaded or ignored. We regret that misunderstandings arose based on inaccurate information."
Views on Lee Jang-woo's controversy are divided. Some argue that since Hoseokchon paid the full amount to the distributor Mujin, the contractual partner, without missing a single payment, it is practically difficult for Lee Jang-woo to be aware of and respond in real time to managerial issues, and they claimed he is a victim, saying he became an abusive celebrity who does not pay on time despite settling more than 400 million won.
On the other hand, some emphasized the responsibility that comes with Lee Jang-woo's brand power. They pointed out that because Lee Jang-woo enjoyed marketing effects by promoting on broadcasts and YouTube with phrases such as "I boiled it myself" and "it's my shop," he should also bear the risks. They also criticized that even if there was no direct contractual relationship, if he invested in and participated in the operation of the enterprise, he should have paid more attention and that a moral apology should come first.
Meanwhile, Lee Jang-woo married actress Jo Hye-won in November last year. He is currently also running a food service business.
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