"While Paek Jongwon Was in the Army, I Was Selling Dae-pae Samgyeopsal"—Interview With the Busan Owner Claiming to Be the Original Creator Released

"I've been selling it since 1983"
Certificate of closure revealed...
Court disputes Baek Jong-won's claim as the original creator

An interview with Ryu Su-deok, founder of Choryang Hwaseong Galbi, who claims to have sold "Dae-pae Samgyeopsal" (thinly sliced pork belly) ten years earlier than Paek Jongwon, CEO of Theborn Korea, has been released.

Paek Jongwon, CEO of Theborn Korea (left), and Kim Jaewhan, PD, captured from the YouTube channel 'Kim Jaewhan's Ojaena'. Photo by Yonhap News.

On August 14, a video titled "Meeting the founder of Choryang Hwaseong Galbi, the Dae-pae Samgyeopsal franchise that started in the 1980s" was released on PD Kim Jaehwan’s YouTube channel "Jaehwan Kim’s Ojaena." In the video, Mr. Ryu shares his story of selling thinly sliced pork belly in Busan during the 1980s.

Although the certificate of business closure disclosed by Mr. Ryu lists the restaurant’s opening year as 1984, he explained that the actual business started in 1983. He recounted that at that time, he introduced gas to his restaurant and purchased a secondhand meat slicer from Japan, enabling him to sell thinly sliced pork belly in large quantities. He recalled that the term "Dae-pae" began to be used naturally by customers. Kang Kyung-ho, who operated a Choryang Hwaseong Galbi franchise in 1991, also testified that the menu was already called "Dae-pae Samgyeopsal" at that time.

Regarding the claim that CEO Paek developed Dae-pae Samgyeopsal in 1993, Mr. Ryu stated, "It makes no sense—I've already been in business since 1983." PD Kim added, "While Paek Jongwon, who claims to have been a legendary military cook, was still serving in the army, the Dae-pae Samgyeopsal franchise already existed in Busan. Back then, Dae-pae Samgyeopsal was an everyday dinner menu for the youth of Busan who had tight budgets."

Previously, on a broadcast, CEO Paek explained that he accidentally created thin, rolled pork belly around 1993 after purchasing the wrong kind of meat slicer. He said he named the dish "Dae-pae Samgyeopsal," inspired by a customer’s comment that the pork "looked like a wood shaving." The Theborn Korea website also specifies that Dae-pae Samgyeopsal was "developed by Paek Jongwon in 1993."

Last month, the Anyang Branch of Suwon District Court ruled against a Theborn Korea franchisee who had filed a lawsuit seeking damages against PD Kim for airing a broadcast claiming that Paek was not the original developer of Dae-pae Samgyeopsal. The court also recognized that, starting from the late 1980s, thinly sliced pork belly called "Dae-pae Samgyeopsal" was already popular in Busan, and that this form occurs naturally when pork belly is sliced thinly with a meat slicer. Therefore, the court concluded that Mr. Paek cannot be considered the original creator of Dae-pae Samgyeopsal.

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