The *Daepa Road* YouTube series reignited a long-running dispute over who invented daepasamgyeopsal, and Baek Jong-won's decision to sue after watching episode 2 turned a niche food debate into a major celebrity controversy. Korean internet communities are buzzing because it pits a beloved public figure against grassroots food culture claims.
Korean celebrity chef and food industry mogul Baek Jong-won is making headlines after reportedly filing a lawsuit connected to *Daepa Road*, a video series centered on the surprisingly heated debate over who invented 'daepasamgyeopsal' — ultra-thin sliced pork belly that's become a staple at Korean BBQ restaurants nationwide. The second episode of the series apparently pushed Baek far enough to take legal action, signaling just how seriously he takes the origins of this dish.
So why does it matter who invented a pork cut? In Korea, the 'daepasamgyeopsal origin war' (dubbed the 'Daepa War' by fans) is no joke — it's a full-blown dispute involving restaurant reputations, intellectual property, and serious money. Daepasamgyeopsal, which uses a meat slicer to shave pork belly into paper-thin strips, exploded in popularity over the last decade and is now a multi-billion won market. Whoever can credibly claim to be the 'original' stands to gain enormous brand prestige and business clout.
Baek Jong-won, best known internationally for his hit show *Baek Jong-won's Alley Restaurant* (골목식당), has long been a central figure in Korean food culture — part investor, part mentor, part food critic. His involvement in the *Daepa Road* controversy adds major fuel to the fire, and Korean internet communities are absolutely eating it up (pun intended). The post, sourced from the Baek Jong-won Alley Restaurant gallery on DC Inside, is going viral as fans debate whether the lawsuit is justified or an overreaction.