Baek Jong-won's Official Statement on 'Power Abuse' Allegations

Baek Jong-won, the representative of DaeBong Korea, has made an official statement regarding the recent allegations of 'power abuse' related to pressure on cast members to leave the show.

On the 13th, Baek Jong-won denied the related allegations in a recent interview with the entertainment media outlet OSEN.

Regarding the controversy involving Professor A, who raised suspicions about Baek Jong-won's selection of 12 types of makgeolli, he explained, "The responsible PD simply asked about the rapport with the cast members and I expressed my personal opinion."

He emphasized, "I have no authority to prohibit participation, and the network representative cannot prevent anyone from appearing. How can such an opinion be interpreted as power abuse?" firmly denying the allegations.

Clarification on Controversy Related to Competitor Program Cast

In particular, Baek Jong-won addressed the controversy over claims that he blocked the participation of Kim Ho-joong from TV Chosun's 'Mr. Trot', which was competing with SBS's 'Baek Jong-won's Alley Restaurant' at the same time.

He stated, "At that time, 'Alley Restaurant' was in a ratings competition with the 'Mr. Trot' series,” adding, "I was merely expressing my disappointment about using cast members from competing programs on SBS entertainment. To interpret this as power abuse is unjust."

It was merely an expression of disappointment.

Baek emphasized, "I am not a perfect person, so I cannot claim that I always spoke quickly and refinedly. I acknowledge that I may have shortcomings in my character, but it is unfair to interpret that as power abuse."

Previously, Kim Jae-hwan, a former PD from MBC, claimed in his YouTube video that Baek Jong-won had pressured the PD to block Kim Ho-joong from participating in SBS and to prevent Professor A from conducting broadcasts.

The former PD claimed, "Baek Jong-won called the SBS entertainment chief and said, 'If you cast a participant from 'Mr. Trot', I will leave all SBS programs.' The entertainment chief replied, 'I think the kids don't know what they are doing,' and tried to calm Baek. From then on, it circulated among PDs that 'Baek Jong-won pressured the departure of a participant with just one phone call,' leading to the power abuse controversy."

Baek Jong-won has expressed his grievances regarding this. In a video released on the 8th, he explained, "That's something even the head of a broadcasting company cannot do. For example, when discussing with the production team, if I ask, 'Do you get along well with them?', they might say 'Well…'. It doesn't make sense for me to dictate who should or shouldn't be cut."

Image source: Baek Jong-won, Representative of DaeBong Korea / News1, Singer Kim Ho-joong / News1