'Culinary Class Wars' chef Im Seong-keun denies restaurant plans were shelved despite online rumors
Published: 03 Feb. 2026, 17:27
Updated: 03 Feb. 2026, 18:22
![Chef Im Seong-keun, known as a contestant on the second season of Netflix's cooking competition show ″Culinary Class Wars″ (2024-) [NETFLIX]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/03/71f7b208-1b8f-41ec-bfec-771775062b52.jpg)
Chef Im Seong-keun, known as a contestant on the second season of Netflix's cooking competition show ″Culinary Class Wars″ (2024-) [NETFLIX]
Chef Im Seong-keun, a contestant on the second season of Netflix’s “Culinary Class Wars” (2024-), on Tuesday denied online rumors that he had abandoned plans to open a restaurant over recent personal controversies.
Speculation spread online after photos circulated showing a building near Mount Simhak in Paju, Gyeonggi, bearing a banner reading “For Sale,” prompting claims that Im had abandoned previously announced plans to open a restaurant there.
A representative for Im told online media outlet Hankyung.com that “the ‘for sale’ banner circulating online is related to a parcel of land next to the restaurant” and that “it is not true that the restaurant plan has folded.”
“Chef Im is feeling taken aback and troubled by groundless rumors," the representative said.
The representative said the restaurant plans would proceed as scheduled.
![A banner with the words ″For Sale″ is hung up on a building near Mount Samhak in Paju, Gyeonggi, in this photo uploaded by an online community user. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/03/44f238ca-7bd8-44af-b881-cb2a6d9e2b1f.jpg)
A banner with the words ″For Sale″ is hung up on a building near Mount Samhak in Paju, Gyeonggi, in this photo uploaded by an online community user. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Im reportedly said the restaurant would mainly serve dishes such as bakpo galbi, a grilled pork rib dish, and jjageuli, a Korean-style stew.
“I received investment from someone I know and will run the restaurant in that person’s building while receiving a salary," Im said, according to Hankyung.com's report.
Im rose to prominence after appearing on the second season of "Culinary Class Wars." He withdrew from all media appearances in January after controversy surfaced over a past drunk driving conviction, only appearing on home shopping programs recorded prior to his withdrawal.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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