Jeong Ji-seon Faces Controversy Over Ginseng Cooking Challenge

Chef Jeong Ji-seon has found herself embroiled in a humorous yet controversial situation.

On the 29th episode of KBS 2TV's variety show 'The Boss Has Donkey Ears' (hereafter referred to as 'Donkey Ears'), which aired on the 29th, chefs Jeong Ji-seon and Jeong Ho-young received a love call from Jeungpyeong County in Chungbuk to develop ginseng dishes.

Visiting Jeungpyeong, known for its ginseng, Jeong Ji-seon said, "I was proposed to develop ginseng dishes by Jeungpyeong County. They are holding a ginseng festival in October. As a star chef, I wanted to help boost the local economy."

Jeong Ji-seon was not the only chef to visit Jeungpyeong. Japanese cuisine chef Jeong Ho-young also received the same invitation. Upon seeing Jeong Ho-young, Jeong Ji-seon joked, "They said Jeong Ho-young and one other person were coming. Was it you, Chef Jeong Ji-seon?" Jeong Ho-young responded, "It's Jeong Ji-seon and one other person. Jeungpyeong County called for me. Chef Jeong Ji-seon is quite popular these days, appearing on 'Radio Star,' being a regular on '6 O'Clock My Hometown,' and even on Netflix's 'Black and White Chef.'"

Park Myung-soo quipped to Jeong Ji-seon, "If you're so busy, you should leave this show," to which Jeon Hyun-moo added, "We should let her go." Jeong Ho-young also joked, "Even though you appear on many shows, people don't know your name. They call you 'the mean one,'" which angered Jeong Ji-seon.

Jeong Ji-seon then proposed a cooking duel to Jeong Ho-young, saying, "Let's have a cooking battle. On 'Donkey Ears,' when you think of Chef Jeong, it's either Jeong Ji-seon or Jeong Ho-young. Let's decide who it will be today."

The two chefs then competitively harvested ginseng, the main ingredient, from a 1,000-pyeong ginseng field. Jeong Ji-seon, noticing that her employee had harvested a good ginseng, said, "I'll say I harvested this one, so you pick another," effectively taking credit for the ginseng.

When the MCs pressed the 'gap' button, Jeong Ji-seon defended herself, saying, "I'm giving them an experience. When else will they get to harvest ginseng?" However, North Korean defector CEO Lee Soon-sil criticized her, saying, "That's power abuse. You should do your own work." Jeong Ho-young also remarked, "You really do only bad things," towards Jeong Ji-seon, who proudly claimed the ginseng harvested by her employee.

Ryu Ye-ji, TenAsia Reporter, ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr