The Truth About Ho-seokchon: Lee Jang-woo’s Role in the Food Supply Controversy Revealed

Photo=DB

[Sports Today reporter Yoon Hye-young] Hoseokchon, a sundae-guk (Korean blood sausage soup) restaurant reportedly associated with actor Lee Jang-woo, is embroiled in a dispute over unpaid supplier bills.

On the 17th, Dispatch reported that a Cheonan-based livestock distributor identified as Mr. A says he supplied pig heads, small intestines (gopchang) and large intestines (daechang) to Hoseokchon for roughly a year and a half but was never paid. He told Dispatch that payments were processed normally at the start of the relationship, but deposits became delayed thereafter.

According to Mr. A, the outstanding balance swelled to 50,000,000 KRW (about $37,500) by November 2024 and to 64,000,000 KRW (about $48,000) by January 2025. “I trusted them because they were celebrities and waited,” he said. “But they’ve been postponing payment for more than a year. They would repay 2,000,000 KRW (about $1,500) while placing new orders worth 5,000,000 KRW (about $3,750). That only increased the unpaid balance by another 3,000,000 KRW (about $2,250).”

Dispatch also reported a change in ownership of Hoseokchon, saying the business moved from the corporation ‘Mujin’ to the corporation ‘Horangi.’ Horangi is an F&B company that lists Lee Jang-woo as a director. A Horangi representative, however, told Dispatch the company has stepped away from the unpaid-bill dispute.

Horangi’s statement blamed the issue on a friend, referred to as B, who ran Hoseokchon. “It seems B diverted funds intended for ingredient purchases,” the company said, adding that while some people assume Lee Jang-woo was a co-CEO, that is not the case. They said Lee only took a share of profits for about two months after the restaurant opened, and that the venture is currently operating at a loss with no settlement received. “Lee Jang-woo only participated briefly at the opening to help a friend,” the statement said.

Still, Lee has promoted the restaurant on television and YouTube, presenting it in some segments as his own. His continued appearances in related content after the bills went unpaid have intensified debate over his level of responsibility.

In response to the controversy, a representative from Lee’s agency, Hooners Entertainment, told Sports Today that some details are inaccurate and that the agency will issue an official statement once its position is clarified.

[스포츠투데이 윤혜영 기자 ent@stoo.com]
「Closest to you, most fun news ⓒ Sports Today」