![[Photo = Netflix and online community capture]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/02/03/20260203144813168845.jpg)
Chef Lim Seong-geun, who appeared on Netflix original series including 'Culinary Class Wars 2,' has denied reports that he canceled plans to open a restaurant after it emerged he has six prior convictions, including for drunk driving.
OSEN reported Tuesday, citing a person close to Lim, that the restaurant is still scheduled to open in March.
The person said a banner reading "For Sale" seen in a widely shared photo was for a neighboring lot, not Lim's restaurant property.
Photos circulating on online communities showed the banner hanging on a building near Simhaksan in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, where Lim had previously said he planned to open a restaurant. Some commenters questioned whether the opening had been delayed or canceled.
Lim rose to prominence after winning tvN's 'Korean Food Battle 3' in 2015. Last month, he said on a YouTube channel that he had three drunk-driving convictions, but it was later confirmed he had four. He was punished for drunk driving in 1999, 2009, 2017 and 2020.
The report said Lim was sentenced in 1998 for violating the Road Traffic Act to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, and fined 300,000 won, and was punished again for drunk driving the following year. An assault conviction also surfaced, and he halted his broadcast activities.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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