Paik Jongwon’s The Born Korea Refutes Allegations Over Regional Project Spending
Apr 30, 2025
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On the 30th, Durbon Korea announced that it would like to correct the facts regarding the regional development projects of Durbon Korea, such as 'Inje-gun Festival YouTube Video Production', 'Gunsan Food Service Industry Development Institute', and 'Regional Festival Sales'.
First of all, regarding the theory that 550 million won was paid in exchange for producing two YouTube videos related to the Inje-gun festival, the amount used for video production and promotion is 150 million won. 350 million won was spent on the overall operation of the festival, including facility creation, space production, menu consulting, and general expenses.
In addition, the promotional video was produced by 16 professional production teams for five months. The amount was set by comprehensively considering the production process over a long period of time and the advertising effect of the Jongwon Baek YouTube channel (about 6.5 million subscribers)."
Regarding the establishment of the Gunsan Food Service Industry Development Institute, he denied the theory that Gunsan City provided preferential treatment to Dubon Korea by investing 7 billion won in the budget "We are faithfully carrying out the project by thoroughly complying with laws and administrative procedures without any preferential treatment or exceptions."
Finally, regarding the suspicion that it earned about 9.1 billion won in sales by 'sweeping' local festivals for three years, the festival project began in earnest in 2023 and has won a total of 16 regional festivals so far, with total sales of about 4.1 billion won. The average cost of all festival services was 300 million won. Rather than immediate profits, we are proceeding with a long-term investment model to build a festival platform specialized in the region", he explained.
The following is the full text of The Bourbon Korea's position.
I would like to inform you of the headquarters' position on media reports related to the Durbon Korea regional development project.
Dubon Korea has participated in various regional development projects to realize the social value of revitalizing the local economy and supporting small business owners. We place coexistence with the community as our top priority and are committed to transparent and responsible business operations.
Recently, many articles related to the regional development project in Dubon Korea have been reported, such as 'Inje-gun Festival YouTube Video Production', 'Gunsan Food Service Industry Development Institute', and 'Local Festival Sales'. However, some media outlets are using expressions and phrases that can be misleading or articleized with content that is different from the facts, so we want to correct the facts.
■ Explanation of facts about Inje-gun Festival-related reports
What's Reported: KRW 550 Million for Two YouTube Productions
Fact: KRW 150 million for video production and promotion / KRW 350 million for facility construction, space production, menu consulting, general expenses, etc
Media reports that Inje-gun paid 550 million won for the production of two videos of local festivals are completely different from the truth. Of the actual contract budget of 500 million won, the amount used for the production and promotion of two YouTube videos was 150 million won, and the remaining 350 million won was used for the overall festival operation, including facility construction (festival booth and equipment installation cost, refrigeration/freezer, kiosk rental cost), space production (event venue production cost), general expenses (education cost, accommodation cost, meals, food material logistics cost, etc.), and menu consulting.
In particular, the promotional videos (two cases) were produced over a total of five months from February 2024 to June, when the festival was held, and there is a big difference from general promotional videos in terms of production period and manpower. A total of 16 professional production teams (including PD and writers) participated in the production, and the related budget was set by comprehensively considering the long-term production process and the advertising effect of the Jongwon Baek YouTube channel (about 6.5 million subscribers).
In this regard, the local government has also reiterated its position that it is not true, but this position is not reflected and reports are being reported indiscriminately, clearly correcting the facts.
■ Explanation of facts on reports related to Gunsan Food Service Industry Development Institute
In relation to the creation of the Gunsan Food Service Industry Development Institute, expressions and phrases that may cause some misunderstandings are spreading, so I would like to clearly convey the facts.
Some media outlets report that Gunsan City invested KRW 7 billion in the budget to provide preferential treatment to Dubon Korea, using expressions such as 'customized', 'benefit', and 'bread' in the article, but this is not true.
The project is based on the budget and land already secured by Gunsan City, and it is not a way to provide customized benefits only to specific companies. Gunsan City requested cooperation by referring to the success stories of our Budget Food Service Industry Development Institute, and we are faithfully carrying out the project by thoroughly complying with laws and administrative procedures without any preferential treatment or exceptions.
As the only restaurant start-up specialized institution in Korea, the Korea Food Service Industry Development Institute carries out various regional-oriented tasks such as menu research and development based on local specialties, youth cooking education and start-up support, and overall restaurant education consulting in connection with traditional market restoration and festival events.
We sincerely ask you to avoid false reports on win-win cooperation between local governments and Dubon Korea, which strives to revitalize the region.
■ Explanation of facts related to sales of regional festivals from 2023 to 2024
Reported: 9.1 billion won in sales of local festivals over the past three years / 'Sweep'
Fact: About KRW 4.1 billion in sales of local festivals over the past three years/A total of 16 festivals have been awarded
(Notice from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism: Approximately 1.2% of the 1,170 regional festivals nationwide in 2024)
Regarding the sales scale of Durbon Korea's local festival, there is a spread of reports and YouTube contents that are different from the facts, so we convey a clear factual relationship.
Dubon Korea has won a total of 16 regional festivals so far, with total sales of about 4.1 billion won, since the festival business began in earnest in 2023. The average cost of all festival services was 300 million won. The reported sales of 9.1 billion won over the three years include local win-win projects such as local festivals as well as projects to revitalize the original city center and traditional markets, as well as start-up consulting for restaurants and education projects for the socially vulnerable.
In fact, our regional festival project is in its early stages, focusing a lot of manpower and equipment in close cooperation with local governments, so we are proceeding with a long-term investment model to build a regional-specific festival platform rather than immediate profits.
Starting with the 2023 Yesan Beer Festival, Durbon Korea is emerging as a trend setter for regional festivals that bring life to Tongyeong and Jeju beyond the Chungcheong area. It contributes to revitalizing the local economy with 8.35 million cumulative visitors to the 2023-2024 festival, 85% of visits from major consumers in their 20s and 40s, and 23.1 million total views of the video.
In the future, Dubon Korea will continue to place local co-prosperity as its top priority and build trust through transparent operation and accurate information disclosure. However, we will actively clarify the efforts made so far and the areas that damage local governments due to unconfirmed facts or misinformation. Please keep an eye on Durbon Korea's sincere efforts and achievements in the future.
Thank you.
First of all, regarding the theory that 550 million won was paid in exchange for producing two YouTube videos related to the Inje-gun festival, the amount used for video production and promotion is 150 million won. 350 million won was spent on the overall operation of the festival, including facility creation, space production, menu consulting, and general expenses.
In addition, the promotional video was produced by 16 professional production teams for five months. The amount was set by comprehensively considering the production process over a long period of time and the advertising effect of the Jongwon Baek YouTube channel (about 6.5 million subscribers)."
Regarding the establishment of the Gunsan Food Service Industry Development Institute, he denied the theory that Gunsan City provided preferential treatment to Dubon Korea by investing 7 billion won in the budget "We are faithfully carrying out the project by thoroughly complying with laws and administrative procedures without any preferential treatment or exceptions."
Finally, regarding the suspicion that it earned about 9.1 billion won in sales by 'sweeping' local festivals for three years, the festival project began in earnest in 2023 and has won a total of 16 regional festivals so far, with total sales of about 4.1 billion won. The average cost of all festival services was 300 million won. Rather than immediate profits, we are proceeding with a long-term investment model to build a festival platform specialized in the region", he explained.
The following is the full text of The Bourbon Korea's position.
I would like to inform you of the headquarters' position on media reports related to the Durbon Korea regional development project.
Dubon Korea has participated in various regional development projects to realize the social value of revitalizing the local economy and supporting small business owners. We place coexistence with the community as our top priority and are committed to transparent and responsible business operations.
Recently, many articles related to the regional development project in Dubon Korea have been reported, such as 'Inje-gun Festival YouTube Video Production', 'Gunsan Food Service Industry Development Institute', and 'Local Festival Sales'. However, some media outlets are using expressions and phrases that can be misleading or articleized with content that is different from the facts, so we want to correct the facts.
■ Explanation of facts about Inje-gun Festival-related reports
What's Reported: KRW 550 Million for Two YouTube Productions
Fact: KRW 150 million for video production and promotion / KRW 350 million for facility construction, space production, menu consulting, general expenses, etc
Media reports that Inje-gun paid 550 million won for the production of two videos of local festivals are completely different from the truth. Of the actual contract budget of 500 million won, the amount used for the production and promotion of two YouTube videos was 150 million won, and the remaining 350 million won was used for the overall festival operation, including facility construction (festival booth and equipment installation cost, refrigeration/freezer, kiosk rental cost), space production (event venue production cost), general expenses (education cost, accommodation cost, meals, food material logistics cost, etc.), and menu consulting.
In particular, the promotional videos (two cases) were produced over a total of five months from February 2024 to June, when the festival was held, and there is a big difference from general promotional videos in terms of production period and manpower. A total of 16 professional production teams (including PD and writers) participated in the production, and the related budget was set by comprehensively considering the long-term production process and the advertising effect of the Jongwon Baek YouTube channel (about 6.5 million subscribers).
In this regard, the local government has also reiterated its position that it is not true, but this position is not reflected and reports are being reported indiscriminately, clearly correcting the facts.
■ Explanation of facts on reports related to Gunsan Food Service Industry Development Institute
In relation to the creation of the Gunsan Food Service Industry Development Institute, expressions and phrases that may cause some misunderstandings are spreading, so I would like to clearly convey the facts.
Some media outlets report that Gunsan City invested KRW 7 billion in the budget to provide preferential treatment to Dubon Korea, using expressions such as 'customized', 'benefit', and 'bread' in the article, but this is not true.
The project is based on the budget and land already secured by Gunsan City, and it is not a way to provide customized benefits only to specific companies. Gunsan City requested cooperation by referring to the success stories of our Budget Food Service Industry Development Institute, and we are faithfully carrying out the project by thoroughly complying with laws and administrative procedures without any preferential treatment or exceptions.
As the only restaurant start-up specialized institution in Korea, the Korea Food Service Industry Development Institute carries out various regional-oriented tasks such as menu research and development based on local specialties, youth cooking education and start-up support, and overall restaurant education consulting in connection with traditional market restoration and festival events.
We sincerely ask you to avoid false reports on win-win cooperation between local governments and Dubon Korea, which strives to revitalize the region.
■ Explanation of facts related to sales of regional festivals from 2023 to 2024
Reported: 9.1 billion won in sales of local festivals over the past three years / 'Sweep'
Fact: About KRW 4.1 billion in sales of local festivals over the past three years/A total of 16 festivals have been awarded
(Notice from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism: Approximately 1.2% of the 1,170 regional festivals nationwide in 2024)
Regarding the sales scale of Durbon Korea's local festival, there is a spread of reports and YouTube contents that are different from the facts, so we convey a clear factual relationship.
Dubon Korea has won a total of 16 regional festivals so far, with total sales of about 4.1 billion won, since the festival business began in earnest in 2023. The average cost of all festival services was 300 million won. The reported sales of 9.1 billion won over the three years include local win-win projects such as local festivals as well as projects to revitalize the original city center and traditional markets, as well as start-up consulting for restaurants and education projects for the socially vulnerable.
In fact, our regional festival project is in its early stages, focusing a lot of manpower and equipment in close cooperation with local governments, so we are proceeding with a long-term investment model to build a regional-specific festival platform rather than immediate profits.
Starting with the 2023 Yesan Beer Festival, Durbon Korea is emerging as a trend setter for regional festivals that bring life to Tongyeong and Jeju beyond the Chungcheong area. It contributes to revitalizing the local economy with 8.35 million cumulative visitors to the 2023-2024 festival, 85% of visits from major consumers in their 20s and 40s, and 23.1 million total views of the video.
In the future, Dubon Korea will continue to place local co-prosperity as its top priority and build trust through transparent operation and accurate information disclosure. However, we will actively clarify the efforts made so far and the areas that damage local governments due to unconfirmed facts or misinformation. Please keep an eye on Durbon Korea's sincere efforts and achievements in the future.
Thank you.
silk781220@sportschosun.com
