Chef Im Sung-geun Admits to Past DUI Offenses Amid Ongoing Media Probe

Chef Lim Sung-geun has admitted to past DUI offenses, causing a stir as it was revealed that he cut off contact with reporters amid an ongoing investigation and made a public statement himself.

On the 19th, a media outlet reported, "(Chef Lim Sung-geun) promised to meet and explain in person, but on the evening of the 18th, he immediately uploaded a video confessing to drunk driving. It seems he attempted to preemptively address the controversy by issuing a voluntary apology before the report was published."

The report added, "This is similar to the behavior of individuals who have caused public scandals in the past, who, when media investigations began, confessed just before reports were published to mitigate criticism."

The outlet also refuted Chef Lim's claim that he only started the car and fell asleep. They stated, "On January 15, 2020, Chef Lim was caught driving under the influence around 6:15 AM in Guro-gu, Seoul, after driving approximately 200 meters while intoxicated. It seems he avoided mentioning the 2020 incident to prevent severe backlash for actual driving."

Previously, on the 18th, Lim stated in a video, "I have driven under the influence about three times over the past 10 years. I usually sleep in the car after drinking, but I was caught by the police while explaining the situation. I had started the car and slept. It seems like it happened about 10 years ago. The most recent DUI incident was 5-6 years ago."

Later that day, Lim took to his social media to say, "I want to sincerely apologize and seek forgiveness for my past major mistakes. Drunk driving is an inexcusable mistake and my fault. I sincerely apologize once again for disappointing you with my careless actions."

Reporter Se-yoon Jung, TenAsia yoon@tenasia.co.kr