Sungjae Ahn Accused of Chinese Ties and Communism?... "Black and White Chef 2" Producer Vows Legal Action Against Malicious Rumors

Personal Attacks and False Rumors Targeting Chef Sungjae Ahn Spread Online
Production Company States "No Leniency, Strong Legal Action"... Evidence Being Collected

Studio Slam, the production company behind the Netflix variety show "Black and White Chef 2," has announced a zero-tolerance legal response to malicious comments and the spread of false rumors targeting the show's chefs.

Judge Sungjae Ahn of "Black and White Chef 2." Netflix

On January 6, Studio Slam issued an official notice via its YouTube channel, stating, "Recently, there have been instances of personal attacks and malicious comments directed at specific participating chefs, as well as cases of defamatory messages being sent to their personal social media accounts."

The company added, "We are continuously collecting evidence regarding defamatory posts and messages about certain chefs," and emphasized, "We will take strong legal action without leniency against any individuals identified as responsible."

This announcement is understood to be a response to the recent spread of so-called "Chinese descent rumors" involving judge Sungjae Ahn. Some online communities have repeatedly posted baseless claims that Chef Ahn is of Chinese descent or has ties to the Communist Party. Assertions that he gives relatively favorable evaluations to Chinese cuisine have also been cited as supposed evidence for these rumors.

Some netizens have even claimed, "The Chinese characters in Sungjae Ahn's name are commonly used by people of Chinese descent," and "Sungjae Ahn's accent somehow resembles Chinese tones."

However, Sungjae Ahn was born in Korea and immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of 11. He later enlisted in the U.S. military and served in the Iraq War, and is a U.S. citizen.

Malicious Post/Message Response Notice from the Production Team of 'Black and White Chef 2'. Studio Slam YouTube

The production team stated, "Such actions not only seriously damage the reputations of chefs who have dedicated their lives to cooking, but also inflict deep, lasting wounds on the non-celebrity participants," adding, "We will respond to ensure that chefs who have competed with pure passion for cooking do not suffer further harm."

Meanwhile, "Black and White Chef 2" is a Netflix original program where famous star chefs, known as "White Spoons," compete against lesser-known but highly skilled "Black Spoons" in a cooking survival show. When Season 1 was released, it became the first Korean variety show to rank No. 1 for three consecutive weeks in the Netflix non-English show category, and Season 2 has continued its popularity by holding the No. 1 spot for two consecutive weeks.