Baek Jong-won, who eliminated the '40,000 won barbecue'... Chunhyang Festival's overpriced charges have disappeared

Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea, has calmed the prices at the Chunhyang Festival, which was previously controversial for overcharging.

On the 12th, online communities and social media (SNS) shared reviews of the 94th Namwon Chunhyang Festival, which opened on the 10th, revealing menu prices. A whole grilled chicken was 15,000 won, and Makgeolli with two pancakes was 9,000 won. Boiled pork was 6,000 won, tteokbokki was 3,500 won, and skewered fish cakes were sold at 900 won each, cheaper than at snack bars.

[Photo by Online Community]

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Netizens shared receipts with prices printed and marveled, "Last year there was the absurd 40,000 won barbecue incident, but this seems like a completely different festival now." They unanimously praised, "As expected, Baek Jong-won." Earlier, this year's Chunhyang Festival collaborated with The Born Korea, led by CEO Baek, to offer food.

This year’s Chunhyang Festival directly leased 126 food booths, agricultural specialty product booths, and small business vendor booths to local merchants, prohibited resale of entry rights, and implemented fixed pricing with weight indications on all menus, selling everything for under 10,000 won.

Previously, Namwon City suffered backlash last year due to overcharging controversies at the Chunhyang Festival. Reviews online criticized the exorbitant food prices. Photos of a 40,000 won whole pig barbecue and an 18,000 won seafood pancake accompanied by comments about very small portions were posted.

Accordingly, this year’s Chunhyang Festival made efforts to eliminate overcharging. Interest also focused on the results of CEO Baek’s collaboration.

[Photo by Baek Jong-won YouTube]

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On the 2nd, CEO Baek posted a video titled “Namwon Chunhyang Festival ? The Sanctuary of Overcharging, I Visited There” on his YouTube channel, where he met participants selected for the festival and vowed, “Whether competitive or not, we will manage it somehow.”

CEO Baek also pointed out the issue of “expensive seat fees.” He said, “The problem with festivals is that they charge rent as if leasing. After going through several stages and being a seasonal business, festival food prices inevitably rise,” adding, “At festivals we participate in, there is absolutely no seat fee. The motto is to promote the region through the festival and provide joy that brings people back to the area.”

At this Chunhyang Festival, CEO Baek introduced unique menus fitting the festival’s character, such as ‘Mongryong’s Boiled Pork,’ ‘Pork Stew Enjoyed by Chunhyang,’ and ‘Chunhyang Sandwich.’ He said, “I hope Namwon Chunhyang Festival becomes a good example,” and “I hope it succeeds so other regions can follow suit.”

[Photo by Baek Jong-won YouTube]

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CEO Baek declared his intention to revitalize local festival food starting with remodeling and consulting for the permanent market in his hometown, Yesan, Chungnam, and successfully transformed the food at the Geumsan World Ginseng Festival. The consulting processes for festivals including the Ginseng Festival and this Chunhyang Festival are shared on his YouTube channel ‘Chukjibeop (How to Revitalize Regions through Festivals).’

Namwon City plans to prevent recurrence of overcharging controversies during the Chunhyang Festival, which runs until the 16th, by introducing an overcharging reporting system, fixed quantity labeling, recipe management, and dedicated staff matching. If overcharging is detected, immediate eviction, administrative sanctions, and criminal prosecution will be strictly enforced.

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