Mingles is Korea's only Michelin 3-star restaurant this year
Michelin Guide rolls out its annual selections of restaurants in Seoul and Busan featuring 234 establishments
Mingles, a modern fine dining Korean restaurant Seoul, was named South Korea's only three-Michelin-star restaurant in this year's Michelin Guide Seoul and Busan.
The prestigious culinary guidebook, now in its ninth year, released its annual restaurant selections Thursday. The 2025 edition features 234 restaurants — 186 in the capital and 48 in the southeastern port city of Busan.
Mingles, led by Chef Kang Min-Koo, replaced the soon-to-reopen Mosu, which had been named three stars for four consecutive years until its closure in 2024. Mingles received two stars for five years from 2019 to 2024.
Michelin awards three stars to restaurants that offer "exceptional cuisine worth a special journey." Two-star restaurants serve "excellent cuisine worth a detour," while one-star restaurants serve "high-quality cooking worth a stop."
"As always, Mingles will keep pushing itself to improve, stay true to the basics and work hard to achieve high standards for our customers," Kang said during the Michelin Guide Seoul and Busan ceremony held at The Westin Josun Seoul.
Under the lead of Joseph Lidgerwood, Korean cuisine restaurant Evett was newly promoted to two stars, bringing the total number of Michelin two-star restaurants to nine. Others are Restaurant Allen, Jungsik, Kojima, Ala Prima, Mitou, Kwonsooksoo, La Yeon and Soigne.
Jerome Vincone, CEO of Michelin Korea, acknowledged the chefs and their teams for contributing to elevating Korea's culinary scene.
"Their restless pursuit of perfection, boundless creativity and dedication to delivering exceptional dining experiences make this moment so special, making the country the best gastronomy destination in the world," Vincent said during the ceremony.
In Seoul, some 30 restaurants were given one Michelin star, including Kang Minchul Restaurant, Bicena, Mori and Haobin which retained their one Michelin star. Chef Park Kyung-jae's sushi restaurant Sosuheon, Jin Woo-bum's Mexican restaurant Escondido and Kim Do-yoon's French restaurant Tutoiement received their first one-star rating. Jung Ha-wan's Mediterranean-style restaurant Gigas, Sung Si-woo's vegan restaurant Legume, Four Seasons Hotel Seoul's Cantonese restaurant Yu Yuan and Cho Young-dong's contemporary restaurant Y'east moved up the ratings from selection to one-star rating.
"This year's selection showcases great diversity of restaurants with new styles of cuisine and unique offerings, reflecting the steady development of the Korean dining scene," Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the Michelin Guide, said in a prerecorded video.
"As Seoul has established itself as a culinary destination, we are confident that Busan will also see an increase in outstanding restaurants and chefs over time."
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