Poongja, a South Korean entertainer and YouTuber, has strongly denied accusations of undisclosed advertising involving her show 'Repeat Restaurant'.
On May 9 (KST), the YouTube channel 'Studio Suje' uploaded a video titled “Emergency Upload: Addressing the Sponsorship Controversy in Repeat Restaurant Anyang Episode”, in which Poongja responded directly to the rumors.
“I dropped everything and came straight to Anyang for a re-shoot. I was so angry I couldn’t sleep,” she began. “After the Anyang episode went up, so many people were asking questions about what was going on, so we decided to pull the posters.”
She continued, “I’m so sorry, but there’s something I absolutely need to say. I couldn’t sleep from the anger. Some people write these very convincing comments—I’ve got their names and their Instagram handles.”
She then read aloud from one of the accusations: “This show is obviously paid for. My friend who runs a business in Sokcho said they paid for it too.” Another comment read, “Everyone in the industry knows this is a paid promotion. That whole channel should be shut down. It’s disgusting.”
Poongja angrily responded, *“That piece of ***. I should hunt them down. They claimed to work in marketing and wrote a very ‘plausible’ comment. If you're so confident, let’s bet something. I’ll put my retirement on the line.”
She added, “I’m completely confident. Let me be clear: in the past three years, we have never taken money to promote a restaurant on ‘Studio Suje’ or ‘Repeat Restaurant’. If we ever have, I’ll shut down both the channel and the show, and quietly retire.”
'Repeat Restaurant' is a food review series in which Poongja visits eateries recommended by local residents who say they’ve been there multiple times. After visiting several locations, she selects the top pick as the “repeat-worthy” restaurant. The show has long emphasized fairness by avoiding chain restaurants or establishments run by friends or family.
However, the Anyang episode sparked backlash after it was revealed that a featured guest had recommended a restaurant owned by her own parents. She later admitted the connection in a comment and issued a public apology.
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