Singer Sung Si-kyung said advertising executives have been circulating negative rumors about him, a remark that surprised many.
On March 7, the YouTube channel "GochuWasabi" uploaded a video titled Hajime Likes It: A Drink Alone with Sung Si-kyung — The True Gourmet Sung Si-kyung Appears.
In the video, when asked how he chooses restaurants to recommend, Sung said, "They’re all places I already knew. I don’t take money to introduce places I remember as tasty. If I took money to promote restaurants, I’d have more money than I do now."
He added, "There really aren’t many YouTube channels without ads like ours. I’d be open to ads, but I can’t include things I think taste bad. Because of that, advertisers spread an ugly rumor that 'he won’t do that XX.'"
He went on to explain that he feels obliged to taste and endorse a place before recommending it, and he won't promote anything he finds unappealing. "So I choose restaurants after careful consideration," he said.
Sung also praised Japanese actor Takeda Hiromitsu, who makes videos about exploring Korean restaurants. "I watched his channel — he only goes to really good places. He doesn’t do it haphazardly. Even I, as a Korean, find it tough, so imagine how hard it must be for him. I appreciated that. It’s a great channel," Sung said.
He closed with words of encouragement: "Put yourself in their shoes. I’m working hard and facing challenges in Japan, too, so think how moved Japanese viewers must be. I’m grateful, and I sincerely hope it goes well for him."
Min-kyung Lee, TenAsia reporter 2min_ror@tenasia.co.kr
