Celebrity chef Lim Seung-geun, who rose to fame after his appearance on Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars Season 2, is facing renewed scrutiny after court records revealed additional criminal convictions beyond those he had recently admitted.
Last week, the 58-year-old admitted to having driven under the influence three times over a decade as he offered a public apology through YouTube.
“I bow my head in deep apology to the fans and viewers who have supported and cared for me,” Lim said in a video. “I want to confess the serious mistakes from my past that have weighed heavily on my heart and would like to sincerely ask for forgiveness.”
He added that drink driving is “inexcusable under any circumstances”, saying he had accepted legal punishment and spent recent years reflecting on his actions.
However, local daily Ilgan Sports reported on Jan 19 that Lim had only uploaded the apology video after media inquiries began, calling it a move to soften critical media reports. The outlet added that Lim told a reporter on Jan 17 that he would explain the matter in person on Jan 20, but posted the video on Jan 18.
The video has since been taken down, as further revelations surfaced.
Lim was caught driving about 3km from Bupyeong, Incheon, to Seo-gu in August 1999 with a blood alcohol level of 0.153% – well above the 0.1% threshold for licence revocation, according to local media Dong-A Ilbo on Jan 21.
At the time, Lim was driving a motorcycle registered under his wife’s name despite having no valid driver’s licence. Records also show that he was detained for 37 days in connection with the offence.
The incident occurred while Lim was already serving a suspended sentence. In March 1998, he was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, and fined 300,000 won (RM824) for violating the Road Traffic Act. His appeal was dismissed in April 2000.
Lim was also convicted of drink driving in September of the same year and fined five million won (RM13,740).
The celebrity chef was also fined two million won (RM5,496) for drink driving in 2009 and three million won (RM8,244) in 2017, respectively. In 2020, he was again caught driving under the influence in Guro-gu, western Seoul, and was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years, along with 80 hours of community service and 40 hours of mandatory traffic safety education.
Amid intensifying public backlash, Lim said he planned to issue a second apology broadcast. – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
