Netflix has issued an official statement regarding claims that it was already aware of chef Lim Sung Geun’s past drunk driving offenses before his appearance on 'Culinary Class Wars Season 2.'
On the morning of January 21, Netflix held the “Next on Netflix Korea 2026” event at a hotel in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, where executives spoke about the platform’s overall content strategy. During the event, Yoo Ki Hwan, Netflix’s director for unscripted content, addressed concerns surrounding the vetting of non-celebrity cast members.
“This is something we think about a lot and find very challenging,” Yoo said. “Viewers want raw, authentic reality content, and productions are designed accordingly when casting participants. However, there are limitations for production teams when it comes to thoroughly identifying every detail of an individual’s background or criminal history.”
He continued, “As with 'Culinary Class Wars' and our other programs, we comply with all legal requirements. Still, when issues arise that cannot be discovered in advance, we are continuing to consider how we can improve our processes. Please understand that we conduct verification at a level higher than standard broadcasting practices.” His remarks were consistent with earlier explanations, suggesting the production was unaware of Lim’s DUI record in full.
However, later that afternoon, Lim Sung Geun told Sports Chosun in an interview that most survival programs for non-celebrities require participants to complete questionnaires that include questions about criminal history. He stated, “I couldn’t list everything, but I did disclose the most recent case, the 2020 DUI, in my application.” This sparked speculation that Netflix may have provided misleading information about what it knew before casting him.
In response, Netflix told Sports Chosun the same afternoon, “During the casting and pre-screening process, the production team confirmed one DUI incident that occurred in 2020. We were not informed of, nor were we able to verify, any additional criminal penalties beyond that. The production team deeply regrets the current situation. We apologize to viewers who may have felt discomfort, and we will take this incident as an opportunity to carefully review and strengthen our casting and verification procedures going forward.”
Lim Sung Geun appeared on 'Culinary Class Wars 2' as a ‘White Spoon’ chef, earning praise for his lightning-fast cooking skills and winning strong viewer support. He gained nicknames such as “Lim Jjang,” “Arrogant Sauce King,” “Middle-Aged Predator,” and “Speed Dining,” and topped Good Data Corporation’s FUNdex rankings for TV–OTT non-drama cast member buzz for two consecutive weeks, later placing second in the third week.
However, controversy erupted after Lim revealed on his YouTube channel on the 18th that he had been caught driving under the influence three times over the past decade. Subsequent reporting later uncovered an additional DUI case, bringing the total number of incidents to four.
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