'Chef in Black and White 2' Hudukjuk, Shocking Wedding with Empty Guest Seats: "Wife's Family Opposed Because I Was a Chef"

Wedding Hall with Empty Guest Seats 53 Years Ago Revealed
"It Was a Time When No One Respected the Chef Profession"

Chef Hudukjuk (77), a renowned Chinese cuisine master who gained popularity after appearing on the recent Netflix variety show phenomenon "Chef in Black and White: Culinary Class War Season 2" ("Chef in Black and White 2"), drew attention by sharing a story about how his wife's family opposed their marriage at the time.

Wedding photo of Chef Hudukjuk. The bride's guest seats are completely empty. tvN 'You Quiz on the Block' YouTube

On January 19, a teaser video was uploaded to the YouTube channel of the tvN variety program "You Quiz on the Block." In the video, Hudukjuk expressed his deep affection, saying that his driving force is "my wife."

Hudukjuk, who got married in 1973, recalled, "When we met back then, my wife's family was strongly opposed," adding, "Even the wedding itself was a decision made by just the two of us." In the actual wedding photo that was released, the bride's guest seats are completely empty. Hudukjuk reiterated, "When I met my wife at that time, her family was very much against it," and "The two of us decided to get married without our parents." He went on to say, "Back then, if you said you were a chef, people wouldn't even look at you."

Hudukjuk also shared a special story about his connection with the late Lee Byung-chul, founder of Samsung. Hudukjuk explained that he traveled to Japan and China to find food for Lee, whose health was poor at the time. He said, "There was medicinal cuisine back then. I went as a guest, tasted the food, and took photos to learn the recipes. But the restaurant told me, 'We won't sell to you, so leave immediately.' I waited outside until 10 p.m., and when I told them, 'I came because I love your food,' the chef personally made the dish and taught me the recipe."

Born in 1949, Hudukjuk worked at Shilla Hotel's Chinese restaurant Palsun from 1977 to 2019. He was in charge of the VIP banquet during the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and China in 1992, became Executive Chef at Hotel Shilla in 1994, and was promoted to Managing Director in 2005, becoming the first person in Korea's culinary industry to reach an executive position at a major corporation. Currently, he is the Executive Chef at Hobin, Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel, which has received a Michelin 1 Star for two consecutive years in 2024 and 2025. Recently, in the "Chef in Black and White 2" team cooking competition, he took on menial kitchen tasks such as mincing garlic-jobs usually done by junior staff-and quietly followed the opinions of the other chefs, leading to the phrase "Hudukjuk-style thinking."