Actor Lee Jang-woo has shared his thoughts about rumors surrounding a restaurant that has a connection with him. Netizens do not know how much it costs for the food item and how much involvement the actor has with it.
Many people have been discussing a sundaeguk (blood sausage soup) restaurant that has been connected with actor Lee Jang-woo. The restaurant has not been paying for the pork innards. Reports say that unpaid amounts built up over several months, which led to a closer look at the restaurant's finances and company structure.
Reports say that many started to think that the restaurant hurt livestock farmers' finances by not paying for supplies. The report said that unpaid balances reached tens of millions of won. Some payments had been completed, but there were still obligations that needed to be paid as of earlier this year, according to Naver.
Lee Jang-woo's side made their stance on the payments clear in response to the accusations. According to the outlet, the Ilgan Sports, an official from the food and beverage firm involved said, "We paid Company A, which has a contract with the livestock company, but Company A failed to pay," This showed that they had indeed paid as much as they promised to pay.
The statement went on to give more details on the contract that led to the disagreement. The official said, "Company A signed the contract with the livestock company, and we paid Company A, but Company A failed to pay," showing that the intermediate company, not the restaurant, is to blame for not paying, as Isplus points out.
While this clarifies things, there is still a question as to Lee's connection to the restaurant because he has been connected to it through TV shows and advertisements. He is listed as a director of the associated F&B company, but his side says that he was only involved in the business in the beginning.
Lee Jang-woo's team talked about the ongoing scandal and admitted that it had bigger effects. They said, "We are not the ones who failed to pay, but we are considering paying the amount on their behalf to resolve the situation," which shows that they are willing to step in even though they don't think they are directly responsible.
They also hinted that more information may be coming as the situation changes. According to the outlet, the reps said, "We will finalize and release an additional official statement," which means that more information would be given to answer public concerns.
This has caused controversy on who is in charge of the business, especially if it is funded by celebrities and the structure of ownership and operation is unclear. Lee Jang Woo's camp still denies being responsible, but it illustrates the difficulties of cooperation and what people think in the entertainment industry.
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