'Naengbu Star' Chef Jeong Chang-wook... Sentencing Postponed in 2nd Trial for 'Weapon Threat and Assault' Charges

Seoul Central District Court: "Efforts Needed to Restore Victim's Damage"

The sentencing for the appeal trial of famous chef Jeong Chang-wook (43), who was prosecuted for assaulting an acquaintance and threatening with a weapon, has been postponed. The court ordered, "We will give you one more chance, so please show efforts to improve."

The 8-1 Criminal Appeals Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judges Kim Ik-hwan, Kim Bong-gyu, Kim Jin-young) postponed the sentencing date for Jeong Chang-wook, who was charged with special intimidation and assault, on the 22nd. The court stated the reason for the postponement, saying, "Some effort is needed to restore the victim's damages," and "We will give you one more chance, so please show efforts to restore the damages by either reaching a settlement with the victims or paying a deposit."

[Photo by SNS capture]

Jeong Chang-wook is accused of assaulting YouTube channel staff members A and B and threatening them with a weapon from the kitchen after finishing filming in Hawaii, USA, in August 2021, because he was angry. He is also accused of verbally abusing and threatening staff member A with a weapon during a dispute related to YouTube filming at his restaurant in Seoul in June of the same year.

At the second trial held on the 30th of last month, Jeong admitted the charges, saying, "I regret causing social controversy and inflicting irreparable wounds on the victims." He also appealed for leniency, stating, "I will serve society to become a sincere member of society."

On that day, Jeong’s defense attorney appealed to the court, saying, "We requested a settlement, but it was not reached, so we deposited a sum with sincere apologies. Please take into consideration that he is deeply apologetic and seeking forgiveness." It is known that he additionally paid a deposit of 20 million won to the court.

Chef Jeong Chang-wook became known through his appearance on JTBC's 'Please Take Care of My Refrigerator.' Afterwards, he appeared on various programs, actively communicating with fans through his cooking YouTube channel, gaining popularity.

However, controversy arose in January last year when staff member A of Jeong’s YouTube channel released a video containing Jeong’s verbal abuse and threats.

Jeong was sentenced to 10 months in prison in the first trial in September last year but appealed the decision.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.