Michelin Guide Announces 'Seoul & Busan 2025'
Hansik Fine Dining Restaurant by Chef Kang Min-gu
"Wants to Share the Charm of Korean Food Culture with the World"
Hansik fine dining restaurant 'Mingles,' operated by Chef Kang Min-gu, has been selected as the only Michelin Guide 3-star restaurant in Korea this year.
On the 27th, Michelin announced the restaurants featured in the gourmet guidebook 'Michelin Guide Seoul & Busan 2025.' 'Mingles,' which has been listed in this guidebook for nine consecutive years since the publication of the 'Michelin Guide Seoul' in 2017, was rated 2 stars from 2019 until last year, and this year it received the honor of 3 stars for the first time. A Michelin 3-star rating means "exceptional cuisine worth a special journey."
Chef Kang Min-gu (center) of 'Mingles,' the only Michelin Guide 3-star restaurant in Korea this year, is taking a commemorative photo with Jerome Bangsong, CEO of Michelin Korea. Photo by Yonhap News, provided by Michelin Guide.
The Michelin Guide explained, "Chef Kang and his team have harmoniously combined traditional and modern cuisine to create dishes such as abalone, napa cabbage seon, and fish dumplings." It also praised Mingles, stating, "The exquisite tableware and decorations made by Korean artisans further enhance the atmosphere."
Chef Kang shared his thoughts on receiving 3 stars through the Michelin Guide website. He said, "Through Mingles, which reinterprets Korean cuisine in a new way, I want to introduce the depth and charm of Korean food culture to the world."
The Michelin Guide awards 1 to 3 stars to restaurants with excellent cuisine. 1 star means "a very good restaurant," 2 stars mean "excellent cooking worth a detour," and 3 stars mean "exceptional cuisine worth a special journey." Restaurants that do not receive stars but offer excellent food at reasonable prices are given the title "Bib Gourmand."
This year, the Michelin Guide selected a total of 234 restaurants, including 186 in Seoul and 48 in Busan. Among them, 29 restaurants were listed for the first time. Nine restaurants in Seoul were awarded Michelin 2 stars. Among them, 'Ebit,' led by Chef Joseph Lezhoud, was a 1-star restaurant last year but was elevated to 2 stars this year. For 1 star, 27 restaurants in Seoul and 3 in Busan were listed. Three restaurants in Busan?Mori, Palette, and Piotto?maintained their 1-star status this year as well as last year.
The Michelin Guide also separately selects 'Green Star' restaurants that practice sustainable gastronomy, and 'Kkot, Bapepida' has received this rating for five consecutive years.
The special awards included the 'Sommelier Award,' which was given to Sommelier Kim Min-jun (Jungsik), the 'Mentor Chef Award' to Chef Kim Sung-il of Layeon, and the 'Service Award' to Manager Lee Eun-joo of Sosuheon.
Meanwhile, 'Mosoo,' led by Chef Ahn Sung-jae, a judge on the Netflix variety show 'Black and White Chefs,' was a 3-star restaurant for two consecutive years until last year but was excluded from this year's evaluation due to its temporary closure.
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