# Paik Jong-won

Paik Jong-won (Korean: 백종원; born September 4, 1966), sometimes spelled Baek Jong-won, is a South Korean chef and businessman. In television, he is known as the main host of the cooking television series Baek Jong-won's Top 3 Chef King (2015–2017), Baek Jong-won's Food Truck (2017), Baek Jong-won's Alley Restaurant (2018–2021), and one of two main judges in the cooking competition Netflix series Culinary Class Wars (2024).

## Personal life

Baek Jong-won was born on September 4, 1966, in Yesan County, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. He was interested in food since he was a child. When he was an elementary school student, he was given some biscuits, but he had to fry them with butter and sprinkle them with sugar. He said his father was also a picky eater, which made him more interested in cooking. When he was a student, his father would buy ten hamburgers at a time on his way home after a business trip. Baek Jong-won would try different recipes to make the hamburgers taste better. It was from then that he started to cook.
Baek married actress So Yoo-jin on January 19, 2013. Their first child, a son, was born on April 9, 2014. Their second child, a daughter, was born on September 21, 2015. Their third child, a daughter, was born on February 8, 2018.

## Career

Baek has hosted a number of cooking television shows, including Baek Jong-won's Top 3 Chef King, Baek Jong-won's Food Truck, and Baek Jong-won's Alley Restaurant. In 2021, he produced his own original series Baek Spirit, with Netflix.
He is also the CEO of Theborn Korea Inc, 26 restaurant franchises with 1,299 branches across the country including Saemaul Sikdang, Baek's Coffee, and Baek's Bibim.
In December 2024, Korea Economic Daily reported that Baek and Jin plan to launch a new ready-to-drink liquor brand, Igin, through Yesan Doga, the agricultural corporation the two established and affiliate of Baek's Theborn Korea. Igin will incorporates the characteristics and local produce of Yesan, hometown of Baek. Igin Apple Gin, a 40%-ABV distilled liquor made from Korean rice and apples, will reportedly spearhead the brand, along with two ready-to-drink cocktail varieties at 4% ABV each: a tangy apple and plum flavored drink and a sweet apple and watermelon drink. The brand's Instagram page features photos of colorful packaging and limited release dates.

## Filmography
### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2024 | Flex X Cop | himself | Cameo (episode 1) | |

### Television shows

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2010 | VJ Commando | | |
| 2013 | Veranda Show | | The World of Army Food |
| 2013 | Real Men | Judge | Cooking show segment |
| 2014 | Happy Together | | Christmas Special |
| 2014 | World opinion ATLAS | | |
| 2014 | K Chef Battlefield S2 | | |
| 2015–2017 | Baek Jong-won's Top 3 Chef King | Main host | |
| 2015 | My Little Television | | |
| 2015 | Yunyega Junggye | | |
| 2015–2017 | Home Food Rescue | | |
| 2015 | K Chef Battlefield S3 | | |
| 2016 | Go Go with Mr. Paik | | |
| 2017 | Baek Jong-won's Food Truck | Main host | |
| 2018–2019 | Street Food Fighter | Main host | |
| 2018–2021 | Baek Jong-won's Alley Restaurant | Main host | |
| 2019 | Paik's Mysterious Kitchen | Main host | |
| 2019 | High School Lunch Cook-off | Main host | |
| 2019 | Manners of Taste | Main host | |
| 2019–2021 | Delicious Rendezvous | Main host | |
| 2020–present | The Paikfather | Main host | |
| 2021 | Korean Pork Belly Rhapsody | Main host | |
| 2021 | Baek Jong-won Class | Main host | with Sung Si-kyung |
| 2021 | Baek Jong-won's Four Seasons | Main host | |
| 2021 | Paik's Spirit | Main host | |
| 2022 | The Backpacker Chef | Main host | with Dindin, Ahn Bo-hyun and Oh Dae-hwan |
| 2023–2024 | The Genius Paik | Cast member | with Kwon Yu-ri, Lee Jang-woo, BamBam and John Park |
| 2023–2024 | The Genius Paik 2 | Cast member | with Lee Jang-woo, Kwon Yu-ri, John Park, Lee Kyu-hyung, Hyoyeon, Fabrizio Ferrari and Eric |
| 2024 | Chef Paik & Les Miserables | Main Host | |

## Books

He has published many books, usually on cooking or restaurant management.
* 2004 There is a Restaurant Secret to Earning Money (돈 버는 식당 비법은 있다), ISBN 9788935205813
* 2009 Baek Jong-won's Secret Cooking Recipes (백종원의 식당 조리비책), ISBN 9788987931289
* 2010 Professional Restaurant Managing for Beginners (초짜도 대박나는 전문식당), ISBN 9788926390856
* 2010 A Restaurant that Always Succeeds (무조건 성공하는 작은식당), ISBN 9788926390849
* 2010 Founded Recipes by the Eat-Out Management Professional Baek Jong-Won (외식경영 전문가 백종원의 창업레시피 세트), ISBN 9788926390900
* 2013 Baek Jong-won's Meat (백종원의 육), ISBN 9788987931333
* 2014 52 Home-cooked Food Recipes Recommended by Baek Jong-won (백종원이 추천하는 집밥 메뉴 52), ISBN 9788926396674
* 2016 54 Home-cooked Food Recipes Recommended by Baek Jong-won (백종원이 추천하는 집밥 메뉴 54), ISBN 9788926396858
* 2016 Baek Jong-won's Managing Story (백종원의 장사 이야기), ISBN 9788926396902
* 2017 55 Home-cooked Food Recipes Recommended by Baek Jong-won (백종원이 추천하는 집밥 메뉴 55), ISBN 9788926366028

## Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
| Blue Dragon Series Awards | 2022 | Best Male Entertainer | Baek Jong-won's Four Seasons | Nominated |
| The Tourism & Sciences Society of Korea | 2015 | Grand Prize | Baek Jong-won | Won |
| tvN10 Awards | 2016 | Best Content Award, Variety | Go Go with Mr. Paik | Nominated |
| SBS Entertainment Awards | 2016 | Special Prize | Baek Jong-won's Top 3 Chef King | Won |

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement |
| Forbes | 2016 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 21st |
| Forbes | 2017 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 37th |
| Forbes | 2018 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 38th |
| Forbes | 2019 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 36th |
| Forbes | 2020 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 16th |
| Forbes | 2021 | Korea Power Celebrity 40 | 18th |