"I Never Hid It," Says Lim Sung-geun... But "Culinary Class Wars 2" Team Says They Knew of Only One DUI Case

[The Financial News] As Chef Lim Sung-geun from the Netflix show "Culinary Class Wars Season 2" announced he would halt all broadcasting activities amid controversy over his past drunk driving and other criminal records, the production team has issued a statement.
According to multiple media outlets on the 22nd, Lim claimed he had never concealed his drunk driving record from the "Culinary Class Wars Season 2" staff. This raised suspicions that the production team had cast him despite being fully aware of his criminal history.
In response, the "Culinary Class Wars Season 2" team stated, "During the casting and pre-screening process, the production staff confirmed one drunk driving incident that occurred in 2020. We were not informed in advance of any additional criminal punishments, nor were we able to verify them."
They continued, "The production team also finds the current situation deeply regrettable. We apologize to viewers who may have felt uncomfortable because of this, and we will use this case as an opportunity to more thoroughly review and improve our procedures related to future cast members."
On the 18th, Lim confessed on his YouTube channel that he had his license revoked after being caught drunk driving three times in the past, and he posted a handwritten apology.
However, it later emerged that he had actually been punished four times for drunk driving, sparking further controversy. Lim was convicted of drunk driving in 1999, 2009, 2017, and 2020, for a total of four offenses. Reports also noted that the 1999 drunk driving case occurred while he was already on a suspended sentence. In March 1998, Lim had been sentenced to eight months in prison with two years of probation and a 300,000 won fine for violating the Road Traffic Act.
It was also revealed that Lim has an assault record from the same year. Regarding this, he admitted, "I once got into a dispute over a parking issue at a market, and we grabbed each other by the collar. It was treated as mutual assault, and both sides were fined 300,000 won."
Meanwhile, an episode of "Omniscient Interfering View" on Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and the YouTube show "Salon Drip," both of which had already been recorded and were awaiting broadcast, will not be aired. His scheduled appearances on JTBC's "Knowing Bros" and KBS 2TV's "Stars' Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant" have also been canceled.
Chef Lim Sung-geun has declared that he will completely suspend his broadcasting activities. However, in the case of some home shopping programs, he is reportedly unable to withdraw immediately due to contractual obligations until the products are sold out.


moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter