Paik Jong Won, Netflix's 'Culinary Class Wars' judge, accused of bullying & violating food code

Paik Jong Won, 58, who owns 26 restaurant franchises and was a judge on the "Culinary Class Wars" series on Netflix, has been accused of bullying by abusing his power and violating food codes, Korea Herald reported.

The celebrity chef owns Paik’s Coffee, Paik’s Bibim and Bornga among other brands.

He could face up to seven years in jail or be fined up to 100 million won (S$91,869) for his most serious offence.

The controversies have been brewing since late January 2025, and the most serious one to date involves wrong labelling.

Used Chinese ingredient in product supposedly made in Korea

Paik was accused of violating country-of-origin labelling laws in its Paik-seok doenjang, a soya bean paste produced by Theborn Korea, an F&B company he founded.

The product allegedly contained Chinese fermented paste, but was advertised as being made in Korea.

As Theborn Korea allegedly manufactured Paik-seok doenjang in an agricultural promotion zone, the use of foreign raw materials is prohibited.

This is a violation of the country's Farmland Act.

Under Korea’s Act on Origin Labeling for Agricultural and Fishery Products, Paik could be charged with falsely advertising the origin of ingredients.

Paik subsequently apologised and shares of the company, which went public in November 2024, shot up 14 per cent.

Poor product quality accusations

The other issues involve accusations of poor product quality.

For example, Theborn Korea’s ham is said to contain little pork, while a tangerine beer contained minimal tangerine.

The beer was launched by Theborn Korea’s affiliate franchise Yeondon Ball Katsu.

Other controversies from the past

Paik’s past controversies have been brought up again in light of the latest accusations.

A video uploaded to Paik's YouTube Channel in May 2024 apparently showed a safety violation.

An indoor liquefied petroleum gas canister was seen near a brazier in an indoor kitchen.

This could lead to fines of up to 40 million won (S$36,750).

Then on Apr. 21, 2025, former TV producer Kim Jae-hwan accused Paik of abusing his power during the live competition show, "My Little Television", which ran from 2015 to 2017.

Paik allegedly got his way when it came to staff issues and he removed cast members he disliked, which producers had to apologise for on behalf of the chef.

It was also claimed that Paik made other unreasonable demands such as letting his "designated writers and filming teams be included in the programme".

Such a move was said to "undermine the chemistry" between the producer and the filming team "essential to the atmosphere of the show".

But another producer defended Paik, saying that there was no abuse of power and the chef-entrepreneur helped make the show a success.

Upcoming projects still ongoing

The latest controversies have apparently not affected Paik's upcoming projects.

He is reportedly filming the second season of Netflix’s "Culinary Class Wars", as well as star in the third season of "The Genius Paik", where he opens Korean restaurants in foreign countries where his name or Korean cuisine are not well-known

He will also be in "Chef Of Antarctica", set for release in 2025.

Top photos via Netflix