Chef Im Seong-keun, who drew attention after appearing on Culinary Class Wars 2, has halted broadcasting activities after it was revealed he has six prior convictions, and separately is suffering from misunderstandings that the restaurant he was preparing to open went bankrupt.
On the 3rd, OSEN went directly to the building of the restaurant Im Seong-keun was preparing to open near Simhak Mountain in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Two large photos of him were affixed to the exterior wall, as if to indicate that he would operate the restaurant. At the same time, a real estate "for sale" banner was displayed along the road in front of the building. However, that "for sale" applied to a different parcel, not Im Seong-keun's restaurant building.
The misunderstanding began with a post by an internet user who passed by and misread the banner. Recently, a post titled "Im Seong-keun jjageuli restaurant status" was uploaded to an online community with the comment "sale ending. Rumors say construction was halted recently. Afterwards it seems they put up a sale banner" along with a photo of the "for sale" banner.
However, OSEN's reporting confirmed this was not true. If you search the building address of Im Seong-keun on a map application right away, you can find the name of the restaurant preparing to open. Additionally, when OSEN contacted the real estate agent who hung the banner, they confirmed, "That is a different parcel, not the chef's (Im Seong-keun) restaurant."
According to the agent, the "for sale" banner indicates that a 580-pyeong site to the right of Im Seong-keun's restaurant, where a commercial building could be built, was listed for sale. The site is a vacant lot overgrown with trees and weeds, and from the access road behind the banner the structure could be placed behind Im Seong-keun's building.
The location of the "for sale" banner was also separated from Im Seong-keun's restaurant by a fence. In fact, the area near Simhak Mountain in Paju is called "Eoreusindeul Gyeongridan-gil" among internet users because it is lined with various large cafes, Korean restaurants and eateries. Due to the site characteristics, the restaurant area itself is tucked away enough that visitors need to use private cars, and naturally parking lots and restaurants are mixed on several-hundred-pyeong lots, so finding neat rectangular parcels is rare.
Regarding this, a representative for Im Seong-keun also told OSEN, "The chef is continuing to prepare to open with a goal of opening in March. It is untrue that the building is for sale or that the restaurant will not open." They added, "If you check with the agent, you'll know that the parcel listed is the one next to the chef Im Seong-keun's restaurant, not his restaurant. We are suffering damages because of unverified posts," expressing their grievance.
Im Seong-keun recently drew attention after appearing on the popular, recently concluded Netflix original variety show Culinary Class Wars 2. In addition to winning Olive TV's competition show Hansik Daecheop 3, he was widely loved with nicknames such as "Im-jjang" and "Arrogant sauce lord." However, after Culinary Class Wars 2 ended, his prior drunk-driving convictions came to light, and he apologized and suspended his broadcasting activities.
He recently told OSEN in an interview that he has six prior convictions—four for drunk driving, one for driving without a license, and one fine for mutual assault—and apologized to the public once again. Regarding his future steps, he said, "I have to fulfill the home shopping schedules for small and medium-sized companies that trusted and contracted with me for the busy holiday season immediately. If I don't, there is no way to prevent the bankruptcy of those companies, from packaging makers to sauce companies. It's not my money; I plan to fulfill contracts for the companies I've built until the holiday. After that, I will return to my previous YouTube and restaurant operations. You will be able to see the restaurant in March."
[Photo] OSEN reporter Yeon Hwi-seon, provided by Im Seong-keun.
[OSEN]