Viral Culinary Class Wars chef Yu Bibim was caught running an illegal restaurant and is closing up shop

By KTimes

Yu posted a long handwritten letter on social media on November 1, expressing regret and admitting past wrongdoings. “It is with a heavy heart that I confess my past mistakes,” he began.

Yu said he had tried various businesses over the years, including fruit sales, street food stalls and a hair salon, all of which ended in failure. Since 2003, he had been running a restaurant without proper permits, which ultimately led to his arrest and a suspended sentence.

“Although I thought deeply about my actions and closed the restaurant for a year, I later reopened it under my wife's name, bypassing the regulations, and continued to operate until recently,” he said.

He said his efforts were unsuccessful despite reaching out to public institutions and regulators to request support for legitimate operations.