Chef Anh Sung-jae, who gained mainstream popularity through Netflix’s cooking survival show “Culinary Class Wars” (2024–25), will temporarily suspend activity on his YouTube channel following backlash over a wine service controversy at his two Michelin-starred restaurant Mosu Seoul.

The chef's YouTube channel, “Chef Sung Anh,” announced in a post on Wednesday that it would take time off to “review” its operations and content direction.


“We would like to take time to reorganize the channel to produce content more carefully [in the future] and [to conduct] an overall review of the channel’s direction and operations,” the post read. “We will return with more responsible content for those who have supported the channel.”

The controversy stems from a service dispute at Mosu Seoul, the Michelin two-star fine dining restaurant in Yongsan District, central Seoul, where Anh serves as both owner and chef.

Last month, a post on an online community went viral after a customer claimed that the restaurant served a 2005 vintage wine instead of the promised 2000 vintage during a course meal. The two wines reportedly differed in price by roughly 100,000 won ($67).

The customer noticed the difference in taste and asked the restaurant to confirm which wine they had been served. The sommelier acknowledged that a different wine had been served and that the wine the customer originally ordered was only served by the bottle. When the customer later requested to take a photo of the wine, however, the staff brought out a bottle of the 2000 vintage.

The customer claimed the restaurant offered no apology at the time and that the incident was very disappointing for a Michelin-starred establishment.

The incident quickly spread online and drew criticism over the restaurant’s service standards.

Following the restaurant’s initial online apology on April 23, Anh personally issued his own on May 6.

“I sincerely apologize once again for disappointing customers with inadequate service,” he wrote.

But online users reacted coldly, arguing that Anh showed “no sign of sincere self-reflection” and that “it would be better for him to suspend operations on his YouTube channel for the time being.”

Mosu Seoul first opened in 2017 and was named the only three Michelin-starred restaurant in Korea in 2023 before closing in 2024. It reopened in Itaewon in March last year and regained two Michelin stars this March. Dinner costs about 420,000 won per person.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KO SEUNG-PYO [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]