Chef Im Sung-geun, known for 6 prior convictions, draws crowds on opening day — sells out in an hour

Chef Im Sung-geun rose to fame on the second season of the Netflix cooking competition "Culinary Class Wars" before drawing backlash over a criminal record with six prior convictions. His new restaurant drew large crowds on opening day.

On Monday, photos and reviews from visitors to Im's newly opened restaurant in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, began circulating online.

Images and videos showed long lines of customers waiting to get in and a packed dining room inside.

One visitor wrote that lunch service closed at 12:15 p.m. — just over an hour after the 11 a.m. opening — and that they had arrived 10 minutes before opening only to be told they were last in line. "Many people who came today, Tuesday, had to turn back without eating," the visitor wrote. "Tomorrow could be even more competitive." Some reviews noted that visitors had made the trip only to find ingredients had run out.

Im's new establishment occupies an entire three-story building. The first floor serves jjaggeuli — a spicy stew — while the second floor offers galbi and the third floor operates as a cafe. The restaurant held a soft opening from Monday through Wednesday before its official launch on Thursday.

Im said he plans to operate on a walk-in basis during the initial period, with no reservations accepted.

Im is a state-certified master cook with more than 40 years of experience in Korean cuisine. He first gained wider recognition by winning the third season of tvN's "Hansik Daecheop," a traditional Korean cooking competition, in 2015, and later appeared as a "white spoon" chef on the second season of Netflix's "Culinary Class Wars." After his television appearances, he became the center of controversy when it emerged that he had six prior convictions — four for drunk driving, one for riding a motorcycle without a license, and one for mutual assault.