Court upholds four-month prison sentence for celebrity chef Chung Chang-wook

The 43-year-old celebrity chef has been accused of threatening staff members with a knife. In August 2022, he reportedly threatened a film crew member by holding a knife against them.

Celebrity chef Chung Chang-wook appearing at the Seoul Central District Court on Sept. 21 2022. [YONHAP]

Forty-three-year-old celebrity chef Chung Chang-wook received the final verdict of a four-month prison sentence for threatening staff members during the filming of one of his YouTube videos in 2022.

According to legal sources, the Supreme Court upheld the appellate court’s ruling on Dec. 27.

Chung was accused of threatening a staff member filming a YouTube video at his restaurant in Seoul in June 2022.

Chung allegedly threatened to kill the staff member when the person told him that filming needed to stop due to a battery problem.

A similar incident reportedly occurred in August the same year, at a hotel in Hawaii.

Sources allege the celebrity chef was heavily intoxicated while filming at a residence earlier in the day. At night, Chung reportedly struck one staff member repeatedly on the head with a pill bottle in a fit of rage.

He then grabbed a knife, threatened the staff, then stabbed a wall and a table.

In May 2021, the celebrity chef received a 15 million won ($11,200) fine for drunk driving, his second offense after being fined for the same charge in 2009.

Initially sentenced to 10 months in prison, his sentence was reduced to four months on appeal.

The appellate court acknowledged the severity of Chung's actions, emphasizing the victim's request for strict punishment due to the psychological shock.

Despite this, the court cited a reduction in the sentence due to the celebrity chef's efforts to reconcile with the victim, including depositing 30 million won as a settlement.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]