Provided by Netflix ‘Heukbaek Yori-si 2’.
Chef Im Seong-geun, whose prior drunk-driving record has come to light, made a tearful plea to stop the criticism directed at his family.
On the 21st, in an interview with OSEN, Im Seong-geun acknowledged his wrongdoing and bowed his head, saying, “All responsibility is mine.” He revealed that he has a total of six prior criminal convictions, four of which were for drunk driving. He explained that they were simple drunk-driving cases with no casualties, for which he received fines and license revocations. The remaining offenses were operating a restaurant delivery scooter while his license was revoked and a mutual assault case.
After admitting his drunk-driving record, he has faced fallout: his segments were edited out of a program he had finished filming, and casting for broadcasts that had been under discussion was canceled.
The problem is that the criticism has spread to his family, because Im Seong-geun had shared everyday life with his wife and granddaughter through YouTube and social media. He said, “The wrongdoing I committed is my fault, not my family,” and, “(My wife) may not say everything, but she is probably in panic.”
Screenshot of a post on the ‘Imjjang TV’ YouTube community.
According to the outlet, with tears in his eyes he said, “I asked my family not to look at social media often,” and, “What would a 4-year-old granddaughter know? I did not know that the photos a grandfather posted because he finds his granddaughter adorable would become targets of criticism.”
Im Seong-geun also said, “As much as I have received more love than I deserve, I believe the criticism is mine to bear. I will accept all criticism directed at me,” while adding, “However, please stop the criticism directed at my family.”
Meanwhile, the video posted on the 18th in which Im Seong-geun confessed to being caught for drunk driving has now been set to private and cannot be viewed. Variety programs such as MBC ‘Jeonjijeok Chamgyeon Sijeom’ and KBS2 ‘Pyeonstorang’ that had scheduled his appearance canceled it.
