Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
Belgian celebrity in Korea denies personal ties to justice minister
Belgian celebrity Julian Quintart has denied having personal ties to Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae. Screen capture from YouTube
By Lee Gyu-lee
By Lee Gyu-lee
Julian Quintart, a celebrity from Belgium, has denied media reports suggesting he became the justice ministry's honorary ambassador because of his personal ties to the minister Choo Mi-ae.
“In short, I am not the ministry's honorary ambassador,” Quintart said on Instagram Tuesday. “I have been one of the members of its mentor (advisory) group, which was set up by former Minister Park Sang-ki.”
The allegations surfaced when Chosun Ilbo, a major Korean newspaper, reported Monday that Choo gave Quintart the position in May after he promoted her daughter's restaurant on TV in 2015. The paper quoted sources that speculated the two had personal ties.
Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Julian Quintart pose for pictures in May 2020, during an event for a mentorship program, at the government complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. Yonhap
“I met Minister Choo for the first time when I received the certificate as one of the 35 mentors,” Quintart said. “That was the only time I saw her.”
He said he was a regular at the restaurant because he lived nearby and he did not know the owner was Choo's daughter.
“I had no idea who she was, other than the fact that she was the owner, until this morning,” Quintart said.
He said the restaurant was one of the recommendations he gave to the show's producers, who eventually selected it for filming.
He also said he was formally recruited after completing the required courses for the program.
Choo has been under media scrutiny as allegations against her involving pulling strings for her son's military service have intensified.
Quintart became known through the hit TV talk show “Abnormal Summit.” Since then, he has become one of the most famous celebrities from overseas, starring in various TV shows such as “Hey! First Time in Korea?”