Paik Jong Won Faces the Law (and BTS’s Jin is Involved)

Written by Junae Won

If you’ve been a regular at Paik’s Noodle or Bornga at the Melbourne CBD, you might have noticed shorter queues (if not, none). This decline isn’t just due to other flavour inconsistencies—Paik Jong Won’s food empire is under fire.

The Born Korea, Paik’s company, has faced mounting controversies in recent months, from mislabelled product origins to unsafe operations at its Culinary Research Institute. Now, BTS megastar Jin has been pulled into Paik’s legal troubles.

In December 2024, Jin and Paik co-founded Jin’s Lamp, a liquor brand advertised as “locally produced”. Despite the claim, the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service has already filed complaints about the imported origins of its liquor concentrates, as well as the mislabelling of them. Such violations can carry serious penalties, including fines or even imprisonment. Paik’s chain restaurants were once the go-to destinations for both curious foodies and Koreans abroad craving a taste of home.

On Korean TV, both celebrities are household names in entertainment, albeit different realms of it, with Paik recently having expanded his reach to Netflix’s ‘Culinary Class Wars’. But with his reputation already harmed by controversy, his criminal indictment raises a question for many foodies: can Paik reclaim his celebrity chef status he built—or has his culinary empire fallen beyond repair?