Paik Jong-won, the CEO of Theborn Korea, is facing controversy as franchisees of Theborn Korea suffer sequential damages, amid the revelation of a note sent by a franchisee to a customer that was posted in an online community.
On 31st of last month, a person identified as A on an online community stated that they ordered pizza from the Theborn Korea brand called Baekboy Pizza, and posted a photo along with a message stating it was a 'note received from the franchisee.'
The note read, "Thank you for visiting Baekboy in these difficult times. I sincerely apologize for causing concern due to various issues with Theborn. We will do our best to keep our original intentions and serve you with utmost care. Enjoy your meal and stay healthy. Thank you for your order."
A stated, "I occasionally receive such notes when ordering through delivery apps. Most contain the clichéd phrase 'please write a good review,' but this franchisee's letter brings me to tears," and added, "Why does the franchisee feel sorry? The public sentiment toward Paik Jong-won seems to have reached an irretrievable stage. It’s unfortunate that the franchisees have to bear this all together." He further noted, "They are innocent heads of families and victims."
Netizens who saw this commented, "The franchisees are the biggest victims," "What crime did the franchisees commit?", and "It's sad, but I don't want to use Theborn Korea anymore."
This year, Theborn Korea has been embroiled in various allegations, starting from the controversy over the price of Baekham, false labeling of grapefruit beer content, failure to indicate the origin of food materials, allegations of violations of the Farmland Act, insufficient safety management of LPG, and a sexual harassment interview controversy.
On 6th of last month, CEO Paik announced that he would step down from all broadcasting activities and focus on management. He declared that he would introduce a support plan worth 30 billion won for the franchisees.