"Michelin 3-Star in Busan Too?"... Michelin Guide Adds Busan

"High Potential to Grow as a Gourmet City"
Selected Restaurants to Be Announced in February Next Year

Busan has been selected as the second city in South Korea to publish the Michelin Guide.

"Busan represents Korean food culture based on its abundant food ingredients"

On the afternoon of the 1st, guests attending the Michelin Guide meeting held at Park Hyatt in Haeundae-gu, Busan, are taking a commemorative photo. From the left: Lee Jeong-sil, President of Busan Tourism Organization; Chris Gladhill, Michelin Guide Asia & Middle East Executive Director; Park Hyung-joon, Mayor of Busan; Elizabeth Boucher-Ancelin, Michelin Guide Communications Director.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to Yonhap News on the 1st, the Michelin Guide held a press conference at the Park Hyatt in Haeundae-gu, Busan, announcing that Busan has become the second city in South Korea to publish the Michelin Guide, following Seoul in 2016.

The Michelin Guide stated, "Busan was not selected simply because it is the second largest city in South Korea," adding, "We have continuously observed Busan's gourmet culture and environment and evaluated its potential. As a result, Busan was chosen as a Michelin Guide city because it well represents Korean food culture and features diverse gourmet cultures based on distinctive local food ingredients such as seafood."

Gwendal Poullenec, International Director of the Michelin Guide, said, "Busan, with its rich marine environment and smooth supply of food ingredients through its port, is a city with high potential to grow as a distinctive gourmet city," and added, "We are very pleased to introduce Busan as part of the Michelin Guide."

The Busan Metropolitan City expects this selection to help Busan emerge as a gourmet city linked to the tourism industry.

Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan, said, "Busan is a world-class tourist city and a global MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions) city. Through the Michelin Guide, Busan's gourmet culture will be recognized, creating a continuous virtuous cycle," and added, "We hope the Michelin Guide will be an important guide for Busan to become a global gourmet city that everyone wants to visit."

Lee Jung-sil, President of the Busan Tourism Organization, said, "The publication of the Michelin Guide in Busan, a strict global gourmet evaluation system, is expected to naturally induce a market economy in the city's gourmet industry and contribute to job creation and quality improvement."

It has been reported that Michelin inspectors have already been visiting and evaluating restaurants and hotels throughout the Busan area.

Busan's star restaurants will be revealed in the 'Michelin Guide Seoul & Busan 2024,' which will be published in February next year.

Michelin Guide awards stars based on standardized evaluation criteria

Meanwhile, the Michelin Guide first published a book in 1990 containing information on various restaurants and accommodations for motorists traveling by car. It is now published in 40 regions worldwide.

A Michelin 1-star means "a restaurant with excellent cooking," a Michelin 2-star means "a restaurant worth a detour for its excellent cooking," and a Michelin 3-star means "a restaurant worth a special journey to taste for its exceptional cooking."

Anonymous Michelin inspectors visit restaurants multiple times and rate them from 1 to 3 stars based on five common and standardized evaluation criteria worldwide: quality of cooking, perfection, chef’s personality, harmonious flavors, and consistency.

The Michelin Guide Seoul selected 35 star restaurants in 2023.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.