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Photo = Yonhap news |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] Theborn Korea, led by celebrity entrepreneur Baek Jong-won, is facing mounting public criticism amid a series of scandals, including allegations of violating farmland laws, falsely labeling product origins, breaching food hygiene regulations, and maintaining a staff "blacklist." Now, the company is being rocked by a fresh controversy involving a so-called "drinking interview."
According to JTBC’s Scandal Briefing on Monday, a female job applicant claimed that a high-ranking official at Theborn Korea invited her to a private drinking session under the pretense of a second interview.
The applicant, referred to as Ms. A, said she applied to become a franchise operator at the “Yesan Permanent Market” in South Chungcheong Province, run by Theborn Korea. After completing a formal interview and awaiting the results, she received a call from a department head identified as Mr. B, who told her to consider the upcoming meeting as a "second interview." The meeting turned out to be a drinking session.
Ms. A stated, “Since the department head personally invited me, it was difficult to refuse.” She added that Mr. B pressured her to drink alcohol and engaged in personal and inappropriate conversation.
In the audio recordings revealed by JTBC, Mr. B allegedly said things like, “You look like you can drink—why not?” “I once begged for a candidate to be hired,” “I have full authority,” “Don’t think it’s weird that I asked to drink,” “Our CEO says nothing’s better than drinking,” and “Do you have a boyfriend? You shouldn’t.”
The report also claims Mr. B attempted inappropriate physical contact during gatherings with newly selected franchise owners and made other troubling remarks, such as, “Why isn’t a woman drinking? You need to drink so we can drink together after work.”
In response, Theborn Korea issued a statement saying, “The employee in question has been immediately relieved of their duties, and we take this matter very seriously. We will conduct a thorough investigation into any legal violations through an external professional agency, and based on the findings, we will take strict disciplinary action.”
This latest incident adds to growing scrutiny of Theborn Korea’s internal practices and corporate culture, as the company struggles to contain the fallout from a string of damaging revelations.
Alphabiz Reporter Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
