'Culinary Class Wars' chef, 69, gets appearance fee seized by court to pay S$95,491 debt

Another contestant from the "Culinary Class Wars" Netflix cooking show has come under scrutiny amid controversy.

Chef Lee Young Sook had her appearance fee from being part of the show seized by court order after it was revealed she has an outstanding debt of 100 million won (S$95,491), according to Korea JoongAng Daily.

Lee appeared in "Culinary Class Wars" as a "white spoon chef", promoted as an expert in Korean cuisine.

She had previously won another cooking competition, "Korean Food Battle 2", in 2014.

Creditor's son released IOU

The creditor's son reportedly released an IOU revealing a 100 million won (S$95,491) debt owed to his late father.

An IOU is an informal document where the debtor acknowledges the debt.

The money was borrowed in April 2010, and the son claimed that Lee had yet to repay it.

The Daejeon District Court ultimately granted a request from the son to seize and collect earnings from her appearance on the Netflix show on Nov. 1.

Failed to repay debt repeatedly

It was reported that Lee failed to repay the debt repeatedly despite previous court orders.

In 2011, a court ordered Lee to settle the full amount, but she claimed financial difficulties and did not comply.

The following year, the court seized and auctioned off land owned by Lee, generating 19 million won (S$18,143) for the creditor’s family.

Even after winning 100 million won (S$95,491) in prize money from the 2014 "Korean Food Battle 2" competition, Lee still did not pay the outstanding debt.

In 2018, the creditor’s family started another lawsuit, securing a court-issued bond seizure and collection order, which Lee also ignored.

According to local media, Lee’s total debt, including accrued interest, now exceeds 300 million won (S$286,330).

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