Police have launched a pre-investigation into allegations that Paik Jong-won, the representative of Theborn Korea, supplied kitchen tools to franchisees without going through proper inspection procedures.
According to police on the 8th, the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul has recently received a civil complaint and started an internal investigation regarding allegations of violations of the Food Sanitation Act by Paik and Theborn Korea.
The complainant claimed that Theborn Korea commissioned a company without a permit to produce a cooking tool for "fried chicken bones" and supplied it for free to 54 franchise locations of the beer franchise "Baek's Beer" without the required inspections.
The cooking tools were revealed through a YouTube channel of Paik last May. Paik introduced the development process of a new menu item called "Jijja," a Chinese-style chicken bone dish, and used the cooking tool at that time.
According to the current Food Sanitation Act, tools, containers, and packaging that do not meet the specifications set by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) must undergo review by a designated food testing and inspection organization.
Meanwhile, Paik and Theborn Korea are also under investigation by the police for allegations of false advertising related to the "Deopjuk" and "Chewy Sweet Potato Bread" products. Amidst ongoing controversies, Paik announced on the 6th that he would suspend all broadcasting activities.