National Judo Team Devours $4,000 Worth of Korean Beef at Team Dinner; Coach Hwang Hee-tae's Legendary Appetite Revealed

The extraordinary appetites of the national judo team were showcased on KBS2's 'The Boss's Ears Are Donkey Ears' during a recent team dinner.

On the broadcast aired on the 2nd, the scene depicted the national judo team, led by coach Hwang Hee-tae, gathering for a celebratory meal after intense training.

When asked by Kim Sook about the cost of the dinner, coach Hwang revealed, "If we eat premium Korean beef, it comes out to around 5 to 6 million won (approximately $4,000 - $5,000 USD)." This statement surprised everyone.

He further explained, "There are 18 athletes and 3 coaches, making a total of 21 people." Kim Sook remarked, "For 21 people, 6 million won is a truly significant amount," expressing her astonishment.

Coach Hwang had prepared about 4 million won (approximately $3,000 USD) worth of Korean beef. The athletes began their meal in pairs, with each pair sharing a grill. During the meal, coach Hwang asked athlete Lee Seung-yeop, "How many portions can you eat?" Lee Seung-yeop replied, "Since my family owned a barbecue restaurant when I was young, I could eat about 10 portions."

Following this, athlete Kim Min-jong stated, "(Song) Woo-hyuk and I ate 20 portions." Coach Hwang then shared his own experience, "The most I've eaten is 26 portions of marinated ribs with one other person. The restaurant owner came out himself at that time," adding to the shock of the viewers.

Netizens watching the show commented, "Wow, the class of the national athletes is amazing," and "Eating that much must mean their training is incredibly intense." Many expressed admiration for the athletes' incredible eating capacity.