Paik Jong-won's claim to 'daepae samgyeopsal' challenged by 1980s Busan founder

"Is Paik Jong-won the original creator of thinly sliced pork belly? I was doing it in 1983."

While Paik Jong-won is widely known as the developer of 'daepae samgyeopsal' (thinly sliced pork belly), a restaurant founder has emerged, claiming to have sold the meat in Busan since 1983—roughly 10 years before Paik. The claim has reignited a long-standing controversy.

The founder directly refuted the claim that Paik developed the dish in 1993, stating, "Development, my foot. I was already running a business back in '83." This testimony provides a new challenge to the prevailing narrative regarding the origin and naming of the dish.

On the 14th, a video titled "We met the founder of Choryang Hwaseong Galbi, a thinly sliced pork belly franchise that started in the 1980s" was released on PD Kim Jae-hwan's YouTube channel, 'Kim Jae-hwan's Oh-jae-na.'

In the video, Ryu Su-deok, the founder who operated 'Choryang Hwaseong Galbi' in Busan, claimed he had been selling thinly sliced pork belly since the early 1980s.

A certificate of business closure provided by Ryu showed the opening date of Choryang Hwaseong Galbi as 1984. Ryu explained that while it was registered as 1984 during the value-added tax reporting process, actual operations began in 1983.

According to Ryu, he began selling thinly sliced pork belly as a menu item in 1983 after introducing gas to the restaurant. He noted that this style of pork belly was already gaining popularity in the Busan and Masan areas at the time.

To meet demand, Ryu established a system for mass production early on. He stated that within less than a year of starting the business, he purchased a used Japanese meat slicer to quickly produce the thin slices.

Regarding the name 'daepae samgyeopsal,' Ryu said he did not invent the term. He claimed the name became established as customers naturally began calling the thin meat 'daepae' (referring to a spatula or large flat tool) upon seeing it.

The business expanded rapidly, with Ryu operating franchise stores in major Busan areas including Yeonsan-dong, the Pusan National University area, Daeyeon-dong, Bupyeong-dong, and Nampo-dong.

Kang Kyung-ho, who operated a Choryang Hwaseong Galbi franchise in 1991, also appeared in the video. Kang testified that the name 'daepae samgyeopsal' was already used on the menus and written on the walls of the shops at that time.

This supports the claim that thinly sliced pork belly and the 'daepae' moniker were being used in Busan up to a decade before 1993, the year Paik is credited with the development.

The debate over the dish's origins has intensified recently. Kim Jae-hwan has used his YouTube channel to question the common belief that Paik was the original developer. This led to a legal dispute after franchisees of Theborn Korea filed a damages claim against Kim.

Reports indicate that a court recently ruled it is difficult to definitively conclude that Paik is the 'original developer.' Regardless of Paik registering the 'daepae samgyeopsal' trademark in 1998, the court noted that the distribution and sale of thinly sliced pork belly in areas like Busan since the 1980s makes it difficult to name him the sole creator.

However, as Ryu's testimony serves as a rebuttal rather than definitive historical proof, further verification of the facts is required.

Ultimately, the controversy highlights the need to distinguish between who first created the dish and who popularized the specific product and name known today. As more testimonies emerge regarding the 1980s Busan meat trade, the perception of Paik Jong-won as the sole inventor is facing inevitable re-examination.