The salary of female production workers at Theborn Korea, led by CEO Baek Jong-won, was found to be less than half of that of male production workers.
According to the 2024 business report released by Theborn Korea to the Financial Supervisory Service on the 10th, the annual average salary of female production workers at Theborn Korea was 32.3 million won, which is less than half of that of males (67.6 million won).
Theborn Korea, which owns restaurant brands such as Hanshin Pocha and Hong Kong Banjum, is headquartered in Seoul and has factories in Chungnam Yesan and Baeksok, where it produces sauces and seasonings.
The salary gap between male and female office workers was about 17 million won. The average salary for female office workers was 45.62 million won, while for males it was 62.84 million won.
The salary difference for research positions was also notable, with female workers earning 33.14 million won and male workers earning 47.28 million won, a difference of about 14 million won.
In contrast, there was no salary difference between male and female sales employees, with female workers earning 33.29 million won and male workers earning 33.30 million won.
A representative from Theborn Korea noted, "We do not differentiate salaries by gender and determine pay based on experience, job position, and role."
However, experts point out that it is necessary to review Theborn Korea's salary system. Oh Gye-taek, a senior researcher at the Korea Labor Institute, said, "There may be salary differences depending on the job roles of male and female production workers, but in a typical corporation, it is hard to see a salary gap exceeding twice."
Meanwhile, CEO Baek Jong-won's salary last year was 822 million won, which was 16.7 times higher than the average salary of all employees at Theborn Korea combined (48.97 million won).