Culinary Class Wars 2 contestant Culinary Monster apologises for his behaviour on the show

Chef Lee Ha-sung, better known as Culinary Monster on Netflix's Culinary Class Wars 2, has publicly apologised for his rough language and behaviour on the show. 

The apology came on Wednesday (Jan 14) in an interview uploaded to the Netflix Korea channel, titled in Korean, Culinary Class Wars Season 2: Interview with Culinary Monster, Chef Lee Ha-sung, from New York.

Spoiler alert: He came in second in the competition after a head-to-head showdown with Choi Kang-rok. 

Lee is currently based in New York and is preparing to open a restaurant there called Oyatte, which will specialise in contemporary food, using farm-sourced ingredients.

The 38-year-old previously served as a sous chef at the three-Michelin-starred French Laundry, widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in the world. He’s also held positions at numerous acclaimed spots, including chef de partie at Denmark’s Geranium and chef de cuisine at the two-Michelin-starred Atomix in New York City.

Lee shared in the video: “The construction is in its final stages, so I’ve been continuously inspecting the site." 

He added that he has been recognised by people on the streets of New York and rekindled childhood friendships following the show’s broadcast.

Reflecting on his second-place finish in the competition, Lee believed he got lucky that the challenges happened to suit his strengths and praised his fellow contestants. "Rather than feeling regretful, I enjoyed the filming,” he said, adding that it was a fun and valuable experience.

When asked if he wanted to say anything to the viewers, he admitted that he “felt very desperate and earnest during the filming”. He had thought that this experience would have helped him to open a restaurant without major issues. When it turned out not to be the case, he began questioning whether he had worked hard enough on the show.

He shared: "If I didn’t achieve good results in this filming, everything I had done up to that point could have been in vain. That’s why my words and actions might have come across as harsher. I apologise for causing discomfort to many people." 

His apology extended to the production staff and fans as well. “I felt like I was causing trouble for the production team who worked hard on the programme, and I am truly sorry for that. I also apologise to the viewers for any inconvenience," he added.

“If you ever visit New York, I would be grateful if you came to dine," Lee said.