PAIKJONG-WON

The year he turned 27, he started in the restaurant business by opening Wonjo Ssambapjip in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul. In 1994, he incorporated Theborn Korea. Around 1997, a wooden-house business he ran alongside it ran into trouble in the financial crisis, and he concentrated on restaurants. In 1998, he completed the trademark registration for daepae samgyeopsal.

In 2005, he set up Theborn China and built a sauce factory in Qingdao. From 2007, he began a local franchise business in earnest. In 2008, he set up the U.S. subsidiary Theborn America. Around 2010, he appeared on SBS’s Jinjja Hanguk-ui Mat. In 2013, he married the actor So Yoo-jin. In 2014, he appeared on Olive’s K Chef Battlefield season 2.

The breakthrough yearIn April 2015, the year he turned 49, he appeared in the regular broadcast of MBC’s My Little Television, was called by the nickname Baek Ju-bu and became known. In May that year, he began tvN’s Home Food Rescue.

In 2016, he received the SBS Entertainment Awards Special Award for Baek Jong-won’s Top 3 Chef King. In 2017, he aired Baek Jong-won’s Food Truck and received an Achievement Award at the SBS Entertainment Awards. In 2018, he began SBS’s Baek Jong-won’s Alley Restaurant.

In 2019, he began SBS’s Delicious Rendezvous. At the end of that year he also received an Achievement Award at the SBS Entertainment Awards. In 2020, he received the PD Award at the MBC Entertainment Awards. In 2021, he began appearing in Netflix’s Paik’s Spirit, and at the end of the year Baek Jong-won’s Alley Restaurant ended with episode 200.

In 2023, he began tvN’s The Genius Paik. In September 2024, he appeared as a judge on Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars. In November, Theborn Korea listed on the KOSPI.

In March 2025, he apologized to shareholders at Theborn Korea’s first regular shareholders’ meeting, and in May he said he would halt all broadcast activity. In November, he returned to television with MBC’s Chef of Antarctica, and in December season 2 of Culinary Class Wars was released.

In February 2026, tvN’s The Genius Paik 3 first aired, and in September he signed a contract to bring Paik’s Coffee to Taiwan.

Paik Jong-won (born Sep 4, 1966) started in the restaurant business in 1993, the year he turned 27, by opening Wonjo Ssambapjip in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul, and became known on Apr 25, 2015, the year he turned 49, when he appeared on MBC’s My Little Television. In 2024, the year he turned 58, Theborn Korea listed on the KOSPI.

Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.