Chef Im Sung-geun, who recently enjoyed a second wind on Netflix’s "Culinary Class Wars 2", is under scrutiny over a DUI “self-confession” post that reportedly went up just as reporters began digging into his past.
On the 19th, local outlet Ilyo Shinmun reported that shortly after journalists started asking about Im’s prior DUI, the chef uploaded a YouTube post addressing it first. According to the report, when contacted on the 17th, Im agreed to meet the press on the 20th to explain―but he instead posted the video on the evening of the 18th, acknowledging the offense.
In the post, Im says he wanted to “come clean about a past mistake that’s weighed on me,” explaining he had been caught after drinking and dozing off in his car with the engine on. He added that the most recent incident was “five to six years ago.”
However, the outlet cited court records that contradict parts of his account. Per the judgment it reviewed, Im was stopped in the early hours of January 15, 2020, after allegedly driving roughly 200 meters in Seoul’s Guro District while under the influence. His blood alcohol content was reportedly 0.141%―well above the 0.08% threshold for license revocation.
The publication characterized Im’s preemptive video as a strategic attempt to soften public backlash by “going first” before coverage was published.
Im recently finished in the Top 7 on "Culinary Class Wars 2" and has parlayed the momentum into a booming online following; his YouTube channel now tops 970,000 subscribers.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)