Even Samgyeopsal Restaurants Drop 'Im Chang-jung'... Franchisees Also Move to Cut Ties

Replacing Im Chang-jung with Regional Names in Business Titles
Distribution and Performance Industries Also Sever Ties

Movements to 'cut ties' with singer Lim Chang-jung, who is involved with a stock manipulation ring, are spreading. Following concert cancellations and product withdrawals, the franchise stores he established have also erased traces of him.

On the 15th, multiple online communities circulated a post titled 'Current Status of Lim Chang-jung Franchise.' According to the post, the Anyang branch of the meat restaurant 'Lim Chang-jung Saegyeopsal' recently changed its signboard. Instead of including Lim Chang-jung's name, the store name now features the local area name. The interior decorations related to Lim Chang-jung inside the restaurant were also modified.

/ Yonhap News, Online Community Capture

Lim Chang-jung recently established a frozen pork belly franchise and has been conducting aggressive marketing. Prior to the opening, he actively promoted the brand by appearing on the SBS variety show 'Dongmangimong 2,' cooking pork ribs and pork belly.

The 'Lim Chang-jung Honey Misutgaru Makgeolli' sold at this restaurant also received a good response, leading to a partnership with Seven Eleven for sales and securing shelf space in large supermarkets. However, the industry announced plans to completely cease sales once existing inventory is depleted.

A store that used the name 'Im Chang-jung Samgyeopsal' has replaced the sign with a different name instead of 'Im Chang-jung' (mosaic)
[Image source=Online community capture]

This Makgeolli sold out its initial production batch of 100,000 units within a week, paving the way for the launch of 'Lim Chang-jung Soju.' However, Seven Eleven declared on the 10th that it would end exclusive sales of Soju Hanjan.

Lim Chang-jung was scheduled to perform at a local concert held at Bonghwangdae in Nodong-dong, Gyeongju City on the 12th, but the organizers excluded him. A representative from the Gyeongju Cultural Foundation stated at the time, "The related allegations have not yet been resolved, and considering the safety of participants in an event involving the general public, we decided to exclude him."

After it was revealed that Lim Chang-jung invested approximately 7.8 billion KRW with the stock manipulation ring and even provided his stock account, he claimed that he also suffered negative returns and insisted that he is a victim.

The ambitious audition event Lim Chang-jung was preparing has already been canceled. Since March, Lim Chang-jung had been conducting the '2023 YESIM Entertainment Global Audition,' offering a grand prize of 100 million KRW to select the next-generation star, with plans to finalize winners by the end of April. However, the audition schedule was completely canceled last month after Lim Chang-jung became embroiled in the stock manipulation allegations.

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