[C/W - Content Warning]

'Culinary Class Wars' chef Kang Seung Won, known as Triple Star on the show, has been embroiled in a controversy involving his ex-wife and ex-girlfriend, as he faces allegations of misconduct and cheating.

His ex-wife, A, claimed, “I experienced countless emotional wounds and a sense of betrayal throughout our dating and marriage. I thought I had erased those memories… but the past has resurfaced, making things difficult for me.”

Triple Star also acknowledged his past relationship with A. However, he told Dispatch, “The divorce was a unilateral decision. I wanted to preserve our family.” He continued, "There wasn’t a specific reason for the divorce. It was A who requested it. I genuinely tried to keep our family together. Honestly, I’m not sure what I did wrong.”

Triple Star married A in May 2022, but they divorced three months later. At the time, they had not officially registered their marriage, so they were in a common-law relationship rather than a legally recognized one.

Triple Star's ex-girlfriend, B, also made allegations against the star chef. B claimed that she experienced a sudden, one-sided breakup from Triple Star and that he had "ghosted" her during their break up.

B stated, “One day, without any explanation, he abruptly broke up with me. I tried to reach out to get some closure, but I couldn’t get through to him.” B claimed she later heard about Triple Star’s marriage and sent him a DM on a social media messaging app. That’s when she learned he had been dating both her and A at the same time.

Triple Star also confirmed his relationship with B, stating, “I didn’t date B for very long. We were together for about one or two months, and after that, I stopped contacting her.”

Triple Star has since gained significant public recognition. He quickly became a star chef through his appearance on 'Culinary Class Wars,' and his restaurant 'Trid' rose to fame as a celebrated establishment.

While his rise has been welcomed in the culinary world, for A and B, it has been a nightmare. Both have expressed that “painful memories we wanted to forget have come flooding back.”

A and B both claimed, “We never wanted to see him again. We don’t mind if he cooks at his restaurant, but we don’t want to see his face on public media.”

A and B have reported Triple Star’s past behavior to Dispatch, raising issues such as his private life controversies, trying to lobby for Michelin stars, and incidents of verbal abuse and threats.

Triple Star also spoke with Dispatch to refute the allegations. Below is a Q&A summary of A and B’s claims and Triple Star’s responses.

A and Triple Star first met in 2014. At the time, A was living in the United States for business, while Triple Star was a culinary student at Le Cordon Bleu.

A claimed she supported Triple Star in many ways. She explained to Dispatch, “I lobbied to help him get hired, even gifting Chanel bags to connections.”

Dispatch: Who did you give the Chanel bags to?

A: Triple Star was an inexperienced student. I’d heard that for chefs, it’s crucial where they’ve worked. At the time, I had an established network from my business, so I looked for people who could influence hiring at the restaurants he wanted.

Dispatch: So he benefited from his 'ex-wife' rather than nepotism?

A: I had a close friend (Ms. X) in the U.S. Her friend (Ms. Y) had connections at Atelier Crenn and Benu. I explained that I had a friend I was planning to marry, but he was still a student without experience, which made it difficult for him to find a job. I asked her for help, promising I’d repay the favor.

Dispatch reached out to Ms. X, who resides in the United States, to verify the story. She confirmed, “A sincerely requested help to secure a job for her boyfriend, using personal connections to find a way in.”

She continued, “My friend, Ms. Y, happened to be close with a chef working at Atelier Crenn. She reached out to that chef, who then made an additional request on A’s behalf. Thanks to this, Triple Star was able to apply.” 

Dispatch: There’s mention of Chanel bags given as gifts.

X: They were limited-edition bags, deep red with gold chains. A bought two bags and asked us to take good care of her boyfriend.

Dispatch: Do you think this lobbying influenced the hiring process?

X: Triple Star was only a student at the time, and there are many culinary schools in the U.S. During graduation season, the resumes flood in. For a student without experience to land a position at a Michelin restaurant? That’s unusual.

Dispatch: And what about his employment process at Benu?

X: Ms. Y knew one of Benu’s investors and was also well-acquainted with Chef Corey Lee. Through our connections, Triple Star was given the opportunity to interview at Benu.

The Chanel bag lobbying was also mentioned in a recorded conversation between A and Triple Star. A stated, "I supported him so much, even in the U.S. I even bought Chanel bags (with my own money) and gave them to X and Y, asking them to help him (Triple Star) to get a job."

Dispatch asked Triple Star to confirm the truth of these claims. He responded, “Do you really think a Michelin restaurant would hire someone because of a Chanel bag?” implying it was nonsensical.

Triple Star: I know A bought Chanel bags for those two (X and Y). But is a job at a place like that really something you can secure just by giving bags? She simply gifted them to close friends.

Dispatch: Then what efforts did you make on your own?

Triple Star: I reached out through email. I worked at 'Atelier Crenn' as an extern. But the place I truly wanted to work was 'Benu.' I even moved to the U.S. just to work there.

Dispatch: A claims that her connections (lobbying) had a decisive impact on the hiring process. What do you say to that?

Triple Star: I worked at 'Benu' as an unpaid intern for three months. I gave it everything I had, and within a month, I was hired as a full-time employee. Was it thanks to the Chanel bags? No, it was because the head chef recognized my efforts.

Dispatch: Then why didn’t you deny the Chanel bag lobbying when talking with A on the phone?

Triple Star: That’s just my personality. When A was going on about 'I gave them Chanel bags,' I didn’t want to argue over the details.

A and Triple Star went through a cycle of “love and war” from 2014 to 2022, marked by dating, breaking up, reconciling, divorcing, and even more turbulent episodes.

Throughout this, Triple Star often wrote letters. In total, he sent 'A' about 40 letters, with 'Dispatch' reviewing around 10 of them.

A total of 17,500 characters—these letters contained countless reflections, apologies, pledges, and resolutions. 

For example:

“When a female customer in sexy revealing clothing sat alone at a table, I secretly watched her through the CCTV in the dark storage room.” (from an apology letter)

“I am trash. I like women, harbor dirty greed, and did something unforgivable to the person who gave me immense love.” (from a letter of reflection)

“I hold the thought of spending a lifetime together, giving you trust as a lifelong partner and proving it through my actions.” (from a letter of resolution)

Their relationship was far from smooth. To make matters more challenging, they were in a long-distance relationship for a year. 'A' returned to Korea in 2016, while Triple Star came back in 2017.

Dispatch: What issues arose during the long-distance period in 2016?

A: Honestly, even while dating, there were always issues with other women. But being apart made it unbearable. Then something major happened.

Dispatch: A decisive event?

A: Involving another man... (Dispatch chose not to publish A’s exact statement, opting instead to reference an excerpt from Triple Star’s letter of reflection.)

Translation: Triple Star's handwritten letter to 'A' - "20. I requested you to sleep with other men because of my (sexual) desires."

Dispatch asked Triple Star about this.

Dispatch: Is A’s claim true?

Triple Star: No, absolutely not.

Dispatch: There’s a reflection on this issue in letter number 10.

Triple Star: I don’t have the letter with me right now… I can’t recall exactly what I wrote.

Translation: Ms. B - "Hi Oppa. How have you been? I contacted you after hearing good news. Of course, I wasn't going to congratulate you and I was holding back on contacting her. Instead, I contacted you first. I wanted to pay back what I received from you, so I waited. Answer me after reading this before I think to do something worse."

At the time, A was an investor in 'Trid,' putting in 150 million KRW (around $115,000 USD) toward Triple Star’s restaurant launch. She also handled areas like marketing.

Managing Trid’s Instagram account was one of A’s responsibilities. In April 2022, she received a mysterious message on the official account—it was a DM from Triple Star’s ex-girlfriend, B.

Dispatch: Did you confirm this with Triple Star?

A: He tried to explain it away, saying he only dated her briefly to get over me. Then he started picking apart B’s character.

Dispatch eventually managed to reach B. According to her, she dated Triple Star for about four months before he abruptly ghosted her. B asked Dispatch not to use her interview, saying she no longer wanted to be entangled in past issues. Instead, she shared a written statement:

She wrote:

“I’d heard rumors about him and other women, but I never thought I’d become one of them. We didn’t even have a fight. We dated like any normal couple, then one day out of the blue, he ghosted me without any explanation or reason.

Later, I found out he had been seeing someone else during that time. I tried contacting him just to get an apology, but he wouldn’t respond. Soon after, I heard sudden rumors about him getting married and opening a restaurant. The betrayal left a deep wound.

I buried that hurt and tried to move on. Then I saw him on 'Culinary Class Wars'—the last person I ever wanted to see again. When people around me praised him, saying he seemed like such a good person on TV, I could only think of the power of image-making…

I hope that one day his true colors will come to light, exposing how many women he deceived while pretending to be so kind. I hope he realizes just how wrong he’s lived his life. I’m tired of seeing that fake image of him in the media.” 

Translation: Triple Star's message sent to B - "This is Kang Seung Won. It's about an important matter, can we talk on the phone? I think I need to speak with you to protect you since it could affect you. Let me know when you're available for a call!"

Dispatch also spoke with Triple Star regarding his breakup with B.

Dispatch: B claims that you ghosted her.

Triple Star: I didn’t date B for very long, just about 1–2 months. We had different perspectives, so I stopped contacting her.

Dispatch: After we began investigating, did you reach out to B?

Triple Star: No, I didn’t. If there’s a person involved, you should hear it directly from them.

When Triple Star broke up with B, he chose to “ghost” her—neither contacting her nor responding. However, after the Dispatch investigation began, he sent her a message first. It was their first contact since the ghosting, with Triple Star requesting a phone call, citing “an important matter.”

======================================================================

Translation: Conversation between Triple Star and A on Sept 5, 2023:

"Triple Star: Even so, I’m really holding back, but I’m incredibly, incredibly angry—I honestly just want to stab you to death.

A: While you were out drinking and dining at nice restaurants with other women, I was at home, paying rent, cleaning, and cooking like a maid. All for you.

Triple Star: Yeah, sorry.

A: With dozens of things like this piled up, how could I remain sane?

Triple Star: Still, ending it this way really is the worst."

Dispatch stopped asking questions about B (in line with B's wishes). However, it was necessary to verify A's claims, especially regarding the threats.

Dispatch: In August 2023, A got a new boyfriend. You allegedly threatened her, saying you "wanted to stab her to death."

Triple Star: Did you only see part of it?

Dispatch: We reviewed the KakaoTalk messages between you and A.

Triple Star: Isn’t that just selective editing?

Dispatch: No, it’s simply a screenshot of the specific threat.

Triple Star: I don’t know which message you saw, so it’s hard to answer. But if I was angry, there must have been a reason. That’s not usually my style, but I think 'A' might have been shocked.

Translation: Conversation between Triple Star and A on Sept 5, 2023:

"A: If you bring dishonor to my kids, I won't sit still.

Triple Star: Okay

A: I'm going to set everything straight even if I have to flip the whole world around.

Triple Star: I don't know what will happen but if I also form a family later...

A: I think you'll understand

Triple Star: And you do this, I think I'll want to kill everyone too."

Triple Star declined to answer further questions. His lawyer defended the controversial remarks, suggesting that “there may be context leading up to them” to justify the statements.

Nonetheless, the phrase "I want to kill you" inevitably comes across as threatening, which is why A is considering filing a complaint for blackmail and intimidation.

Finally, Dispatch asked about the numerous letters he wrote and sent. Triple Star’s lawyer responded on his behalf. His legal representative explained, “I’ve heard a bit about what kind of person she is. It seems Triple Star made a lot of compromises for her. He often had to yield to keep the peace.” 

Triple Star downplayed the letters, claiming they were intended to calm A’s anger, implying that the content was not entirely truthful.

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