"Culinary Class Wars 2" runner-up Culinary Monster (real name Lee Ha-sung) apologized for the coarse language and behavior he showed during the broadcast.
On the 14th, a video titled "Culinary Class Wars season 2: interview with Culinary Monster, Chef Lee Ha-sung, who came from New York" was uploaded to the Netflix Korea channel.
Earlier, the Black Spoon Culinary Monster faced White Spoon Chef Choi Kang-rok in the final and finished as the runner-up.
Culinary Monster said, "I'm currently living in New York, so I couldn't meet you in person and am greeting you through this interview video," and said, "These days, I'm preparing to open a restaurant in New York. Construction is in its final stages, so I'm constantly doing on-site inspections there."
About "reactions around me after season 2 aired," he said, "Quite a few people in New York recognized me. When I walk down the street people greet me, some ask to take photos, and friends I hadn't heard from since childhood contacted me," expressing how he felt the popularity.
Asked about his runner-up thoughts, he said, "I don't feel like I became runner-up because I'm that good. I think I was lucky. There are many people who are very good at the missions and the flow, so I wouldn't make tteokbokki as delicious as Yoon Ju-mo, I wouldn't catch fish as well as those who worked in Japanese cuisine, and the missions were just lucky for me, so I think I became runner-up because of luck," and added, "Rather than feeling regret, I enjoyed the filming, and within the theme of real cooking, being placed in environments that chefs can't experience in an actual kitchen was really fun and a good experience."
Asked, "Is there anything you want to say to viewers?" he said, "I think I was very desperate and earnest during filming. I was fortunate to work at good restaurants over time. I thought that would connect to opening a restaurant and allow me to do it without major difficulties, but that persistent thought kept gnawing at me," and said, "I kept thinking, 'Should I have worked harder? Didn't I put in enough effort?' and I also thought that if I didn't achieve good results in this filming, everything I had done so far might have been for nothing, so my behavior and words were expressed a bit more harshly. Because of that, I think I made many people uncomfortable," and he apologized, bowing his head.
Culinary Monster also said, "But it was just me acting that way, and I feel sorry because it may have caused trouble for the production staff who worked hard on the program, and I'm sorry for making viewers uncomfortable," and said, "From now on, I'll remain a chef who is seen cooking in my own kitchen, so if you happen to come to New York, I'd appreciate it if you came to eat," offering repeated apologies.
[Photo] "Netflix Korea" screen capture
[OSEN]