Hyunseok Choi Leaves 'Sumine Banchan'... Successor is Chef Song Hoon

On October 29 last year, Chef Choi Hyun-seok posed at the press conference for the entertainment show "The Manager Has Donkey Ears" held at KBS Annex TS-D Studio in Yeouido, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Seong-yeol] Choi Hyun-seok, who was involved in controversies over cellphone hacking and forgery of private documents, will be leaving the tvN variety show 'Soomine Banchan'.

On the 29th, the 'Soomine Banchan' team announced, "Chef Choi Hyun-seok will be stepping down, and Chef Song Hoon will be joining as his replacement." Song Hoon has already completed filming and is scheduled to appear starting from the February 5th broadcast.

Earlier, on the 17th, a media outlet reported allegations that Choi Hyun-seok forged some clauses in his contract in an attempt to transfer agencies before his contract with his former agency, Plating Company, expired.

It was also claimed that Choi Hyun-seok reduced the scope of damages in the contract due to concerns over personal information leaks caused by cellphone hacking.

In response, on the 18th, Choi Hyun-seok issued an official statement through his current agency, Weple E&D, saying, "It is true that my cellphone was hacked," and "The hacked data contained personal life details and private information of my family and acquaintances."

He added, "Fearing secondary damage to my family and acquaintances, I followed formal procedures and requested an investigation from the authorities, and the case was closed."

Regarding the allegations of forging parts of the contract, he explained, "I had taken legal action last year related to this matter, but afterwards, we understood each other's positions and drafted a mutual agreement. Currently, the legal action has been withdrawn."

He also stated, "The transfer to a new agency is unrelated to the media reports from the previous day."

Due to this incident, on the 22nd, Choi Hyun-seok's scenes were edited out of 'Soomine Banchan', and it appears the production team decided on his departure.

The KBS 2TV variety show 'The Manager Has Donkey Ears', in which Choi Hyun-seok also appears, edited him out entirely from the broadcasts on the 19th and 26th.