![Baek Jong-won, chief executive of The Born Korea. [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/22/rcv.YNA.20260331.PYH2026033106210003001_P1.jpg)
The Born Korea, the food and restaurant company led by restaurateur and broadcaster Baek Jong-won, has been summarily indicted on charges of violating livestock sanitation regulations.
The Hongseong Branch of the Daejeon District Prosecutors Office recently filed a summary indictment against The Born Korea and a company official identified only as "A" on charges of violating the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act and the Food Sanitation Act. Prosecutors requested a fine of 5 million won ($3,260) each.
A summary indictment is a procedure in which prosecutors ask a court to impose a financial penalty — such as a fine — without going through a full trial. After the court issues a summary order, the defendant or the prosecutor may request a formal trial within seven days.
The controversy dates to November 2023, when The Born Korea, which organized the Global Barbecue Festival held in Hongseong, South Chungcheong Province, was accused of transporting raw barbecue meat while leaving it exposed to direct sunlight. The allegations surfaced last year.
The complaint was filed with the government's public petition platform after The Born Korea had already come under fire over a series of controversies, including product quality issues and mislabeled country-of-origin information. The complainant raised concerns that refrigerated meat products requiring cold storage had been transported in ordinary delivery vehicles with no refrigeration equipment.
Photos circulating in online communities showed raw meat intended for the barbecue festival being transported in open truck beds under direct sunlight, fueling further criticism over the company's food safety practices.
Under current law, refrigerated meat must be stored and distributed at temperatures between minus 2 and 10 degrees Celsius, and vehicles used for transport must be equipped with refrigeration or freezing facilities. Frozen meat must be kept at minus 18 degrees Celsius or below.
The Born Korea said it plans to review its options after confirming the details of the indictment.
betterj@heraldcorp.com
