Baek Jong-won, the representative of Theborn Korea, is once again embroiled in controversy following allegations that the company violated food sanitation laws. Theborn Korea stated it would work on improvements.
According to Yonhap News on the 17th, claims have emerged within online communities that Theborn Korea used inappropriate tools at the Hongseong Global Barbecue Festival in November 2023. A person presumed to be an employee of Theborn Korea was seen spraying apple juice with a pesticide sprayer in a festival video uploaded to Baek's YouTube channel, and it was claimed that the barbecue grill appeared to be made from construction materials.
In response, Theborn Korea released a statement on the 16th, addressing the related suspicions, saying, "We have complied with food sanitation law standards and will meticulously review all details and work on improvements."
Regarding the use of the sprayer, it explained, "We verified that there are no current legal restrictions; however, after discussions with the relevant department, we received guidance recommending that it not be used and we will refrain from using it." Concerning the barbecue grill, it stated, "It is made of POSCO's 'stainless steel 304' material, and we confirmed there are no issues regarding food safety, and we posted promotional materials regarding 'safety inspection completed' at the festival site to inform consumers."
Earlier, the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service reported that Theborn Korea was criminally charged for falsely labeling the origin of soy sauce, fermented soybean paste, and agricultural processed products. While the product containers had the correct origin marked, the agriculture service revealed that online shopping sites misidentified the foreign ingredients as domestically sourced.
Additionally, Theborn Korea has been involved in controversies regarding alleged violations of land law, accusations of inflating 'Baekham' prices, and issues related to the ingredient content of citrus beer.