As the 'Fake Seonsaeng' Controversy Grows... Lee Yeon-bok "Post Deleted... Thankful for Much Cooperation"

"SNS Promises Corrections, Thanks for Cooperation"
"Many Restaurants Don't Need to Use My Name"

Chef Owner Lee Yeon-bok of Mokran has put an end to the so-called 'fake mentor' controversy. Earlier, he pointed out that some establishments were doing business using his name. On the 2nd, the chef stated through his personal social media (SNS), "I will now delete the fake mentor incident that caused a lot of controversy yesterday. Some owners apologized during phone calls and promised to make corrections via SNS, and I especially thank those who cooperated by posting on blogs, Facebook, Instagram, and related platforms."

He mentioned that many restaurant blogs that had previously claimed him as their mentor are now making corrections and deletions. He also said, "Some opinions suggested that other small business owners might suffer damage. These days, the economy is really bad, so I hope many small business owners are not harmed." He added, "Looking at the controversial establishments, some places are already famous restaurants even without using my name."

Previously, on the 1st, the chef expressed displeasure, stating that some small business owners were marketing themselves by calling him their mentor. He said, "I have no mentor. Nowadays, many people are posting that they are Lee Yeon-bok's mentees, so I am writing this. It's too extreme."

At that time, the chef said, "They asked for help because business was bad, so I took some photos, and then they even franchised and promoted themselves as my mentees. There were many such places, but I will omit the names of other establishments." He added, "Business is important, but please don't use someone else's name like that. If anyone sees this post, please make corrections."

The original post by the chef included the actual names of the establishments. However, as the controversy grew, the names were deleted, and after he said he had received apologies, the post was completely removed. Regarding this, the chef said, "Some people running SNS said they unintentionally posted according to their own thoughts." He concluded, "Let's all work hard from now on, and I will also support you a lot from behind the scenes."