"This Will Turn into a Mess" Baek Jong-won Scolds Budget Market Vendor for Poor Hygiene

YouTube Reveals Footage of Restaurant Inspection

Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea, delivered a stern warning to the founders of the 'Market Project' he is promoting in Yesan, Chungnam.

On the 27th, Baek shared a video on his YouTube channel showing him inspecting restaurants owned by Yesan market food vendors.

The first restaurant he visited had supplies carelessly left around, with dust and food scraps found in various places. Even the shelves holding dishes were dusty, showing poor hygiene management.

Regarding this, Baek said, "Would you manage it like this even if it were your own home? I guarantee that if it continues like this, it will be a mess in two months," adding, "You need to manage it well enough that I could sleep here."

Another store also showed deficiencies. The owner was lacking not only in hygiene but also in food ingredient preparation.

Baek said, "Are you going to run a business like this? You don’t have the basics down," and added, "If you can’t do it, just say so now and give up. Don’t do this unless you’re willing to put your life on the line. This is how you disappoint people."

Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea / Photo by The Born Korea

However, after the inspection, during a cafe meeting with all the founders, he also encouraged them. He said, "(The poor management) was probably due to not knowing," and added, "You have to check each store personally. It’s unfortunate that they don’t treat their stores like their own."

He continued, "There is a grading system by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety," emphasizing, "From the consumer’s perspective, if a store has a hygiene grade, it gives peace of mind when eating there."

Meanwhile, Baek is currently promoting a local market revitalization project in Yesan. He remodeled the interior of the Yesan traditional market and opened five restaurants, attracting as many as 100,000 visitors within a month, achieving great success. Before the project started, the Yesan market only saw 20 to 30 visitors per day.

Baek is putting great effort into the Yesan project, including purchasing market stores himself to prevent rapid rent increases. Founders only need to pay monthly rent, kitchen equipment costs, and fees, with the condition that food prices must be kept low.

Meanwhile, the Yesan market closed from the 27th and will undergo a major remodeling project for one month until March 31. During the closure, they plan to find solutions to the long waiting lines, develop new menus, and begin improving restroom and floor hygiene.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.