Culinary Class Wars favourite Choi Kang-rok to star in YouTube series on Japanese food

Culinary Class Wars contestant Choi Kang-rok, 47, will star in a new YouTube series by South Korean-based production company Teo. Titled Food Otaku, the six-part series will follow Choi as he searches for Japanese food ingredients like an "otaku" – the Japanese term for a person with a passionate and sometimes obsessive interest in a subject.

The first episode of Food Otaku will air on Jan 12.

Choi, who has charmed fans worldwide with his awkward demeanour, is said to have started his culinary journey after being inspired by the 90s manga series Shota No Sushi. He now specialises in Japanese cuisine and has gone viral numerous times for his mesmerising recipes.

Choi's otaku side can be seen in a teaser video for Food Otaku, uploaded on Thursday (Jan 8). In the video, which lasts for almost two minutes, Choi gushes about numerous anime and manga series, including Attack On Titan, Demon Slayer and Slam Dunk.

Following Choi's elimination in the first season of Culinary Class Wars, he returned in its second season, which will air its final episode on Jan 13.