"I Take Full Responsibility"... Seongjae Ahn Issues Direct Apology for 'Wine Switch' Controversy

Chef Seongjae Ahn, owner of the fine dining restaurant 'Mosoo Seoul', has issued a direct apology and provided a detailed explanation regarding the wine switch controversy at his establishment, stating, "I take full responsibility."

Owner Chef Seongjae Ahn of 'Mosoo Seoul'. Official Instagram of Mosoo Seoul

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On May 6, through a statement posted on his social network service (SNS), Chef Ahn said, "I sincerely apologize once again for the disappointment caused by the inadequate service that recently occurred at Mosoo," and added, "I deeply apologize to the customers who must have been especially disappointed by this incident."

He continued, "Everything that happens at Mosoo is ultimately my responsibility." However, he also noted, "I believe it is my duty to provide a detailed explanation of how this incident occurred, as there seem to be misunderstandings that do not align with the facts spreading at the moment."

The controversy began during a wine pairing on April 18. According to Chef Ahn, who reviewed the internal CCTV footage, the wine that was supposed to be served-'Chateau Leoville Barton 2000 vintage'-was mistakenly substituted with the 2005 vintage.

However, the sommelier in question failed to inform the customer even after realizing the mistake and, when asked for a photo of the label, presented an empty bottle of the 2000 vintage instead of the wine actually served. Even after the customer raised the issue, the sommelier attempted to address the situation with an improvised explanation. Chef Ahn stated, "This was clearly untrue and inappropriate."

Subsequently, when the 2000 vintage wine was finally served, the sommelier commented, "Since you are studying wine, I thought it might be helpful to compare the 2000 and 2005 vintages due to my mistake." Regarding this, Chef Ahn admitted, "There should have been an accurate explanation and a sincere apology first, but the apology was insufficient and the comment was also inappropriate."

Seongjae Ahn revealed that he was first informed of the incident on April 21, after two days off. He stated, "Even if I did not notice the issue at the time of service, that is no excuse," and added, "From the occurrence of the mistake to how it was handled, every part of the process was inadequate."

He went on to explain, "I required the sommelier to submit a written statement regarding the incident and have removed him from the position of handling customer wines going forward."

Chef Ahn emphasized, "As the owner chef who bears ultimate responsibility to all customers for Mosoo, I promise to thoroughly manage and do everything possible to prevent such an incident from happening again," and added, "I will take this incident as an opportunity to remain humble and to further dedicate myself to my work."

Previously, Mosoo had issued an official apology for the lack of guidance and inadequate response, but the controversy persisted. Wine YouTuber 'Wine King' criticized the incident as "amounting to wine fraud," while attorney Lee Jihoon also pointed out, "The chef himself should have directly acknowledged the facts and disclosed specific measures."

Observers note that this controversy has damaged Chef Seongjae Ahn's credibility, which had previously been established through consistently high-quality service. It appears that this is why Seongjae Ahn personally came forward to provide a detailed account and his official position.

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