Yu Bibim, famously dubbed “King Bibim,” shot to internet fame after his eccentric introduction on the Netflix cooking series Culinary Class Wars made waves across meme circles. Recently, however, the quirky chef found himself back in the spotlight for a different reason: his admission of previously running his South Korean restaurant through illegal operations.
READ: King Bibim of “Culinary Class Wars” Admits to Illegal Restaurant Operations
In a handwritten letter posted on his Instagram page, the 60-year-old bibimbap chef disclosed his past altercations with the law regarding his food establishment. A report by Hankook Ilbo and The Korea Times stated that the chef recalled his various unsuccessful entrepreneurial ventures, such as fruit vending, street food, and a hair salon. Among them was a restaurant called Bibim Sori in Jeonju, North Jeolla, which the chef had operated without a permit since 2003.
While the reports’ translations stated that Bibim had reflected on his actions and “closed the restaurant for a year,” the chef later reopened the establishment under his wife’s name to “bypass regulations” and posed it as a “Korean performance, exhibition, and food experience center.” Bibim admitted to operating it until recently, but in 2015, the chef was ordered to serve an eight-month probationary sentence.
“Considering the fact that he disregarded the law several times over an extended period of time, continued to operate illegally despite successive crackdowns, changed business owners to circumvent the law, and accumulated hundreds of millions of won in net profits from his illegal business, the sentence should serve as a wake-up call,” the court during Bibim’s trail stated, according to local news outlet Yonhap as translated by Korea JoongAng Daily.
According to The Korea Times, Bibim also reached out to regulatory bodies to attain support to legitimatize his restaurant, but his efforts were unsuccessful. His recent popularity and appearance in Culinary Class Wars had brought back his issues with the law, prompting authorities to issue him complaints and warnings once again. “I know that there is no justification for breaking the law,” the chef wrote. “My wife and I have not had a single day of peace of mind since I was suddenly in the spotlight.”
“I spent the last 20 years trying to sustain a living, but I will live the next 20 years for the bibim culture of Korea,” he continued. “I am truly sorry for letting everyone down.”
The chef has since closed down the establishment as a restaurant, but the venue is currently open as a free exhibition catered to South Korea’s bibimbap dish. According to the chef, he intends to open the restaurant once more as a legitimate business in Jeonju Hanok Village.
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