Some franchise owners protested Baek Jong-won's TV comeback, demanding MBC withdraw his show. THE BORN KOREA responded to the claims.
November/11/2025 18:12
Some franchise owners opposed the news of Baek Jong-won's return to television as the representative of THE BORN KOREA, and held a protest in front of the MBC headquarters demanding the withdrawal of the broadcast. In response, THE BORN KOREA expressed its position today (11th) stating, "We have restrained our position to minimize the damage to franchise owners, but we have determined that we can no longer remain silent against organized attacks aimed at destroying the company." They pointed out that this is a one-sided claim from five franchise owners of a specific brand and the national franchise owners' council supporting them. Baek Jong-won is set to return to television with MBC's 'Chef in Antarctica' which will air for the first time on the 17th of this month. In response, some franchise owners held a press conference today (11th) at MBC headquarters, demanding either the postponement of the first broadcast of 'Chef in Antarctica' or the removal of Baek's appearance from the show. In relation to this, THE BORN KOREA stated, "The current actions cannot be seen as protecting the interests of franchise owners, but rather as an organized 'corporate destruction' with ulterior motives," and explained that "Baek Jong-won clearly stated that after finishing the program he was working on in May, he would focus on managing the company and his business life, and he is doing his utmost to carry this out." They continued, "Manipulation of public opinion based on distorted facts ultimately returns as damage to many franchise owners," and urged an end to actions that distort facts or impose unreasonable demands that cause suffering to companies and franchise owners. 'Chef in Antarctica' will be broadcast on MBC at 10:50 PM on the 17th of this month.
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