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Michelin Guide takes a taste of Busan

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The famed, red-covered bible of gastronomy gets a new edition as Busan Metropolitan City becomes the latest Michelin Guide city. Busan becomes the second city in Korea, after Seoul, to feed the French company’s team of anonymous inspectors.

The company held a press conference on June 1 at the Park Hyatt in Haeundae-gu district. Company officials and Busan City leaders were on hand to announce the arrival of the Michelin Guide in Busan.

Speaking on Busan as a culinary destination, Gwendal Poullennec, the international head of the Michelin Guides, stated: “We are thrilled to welcome Busan to the Michelin Guide family. Busan has a charm of its own, with a natural marine environment and smooth supply of food ingredients through its famous port. It is definitely a city with high expectations for growth as a gourmet city. We are grateful to put the spotlight on Busan's gourmet culture and we hope it will be a great opportunity to promote the culinary landscape of Korea to the world together with Seoul.”

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Mayor Park Heong-joon recognized the significance of the city being added to the guide: "Busan is evaluated as the core of Korea's national tourism strategy, with abundant tourist content such as the ocean close to the city, diverse festivals throughout the seasons, and cultural assets with history and stories. The publication of the Michelin Guide in Busan, which is internationally recognized as a restaurant guide, will be an important milestone in propelling us towards becoming a global tourism city by integrating food, culture, and tourism".

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The Michelin Guide Seoul has showcased Seoul’s culinary scene since it was first published in 2016. The guide has highlighted a variety of seasonal and specialty dishes, from traditional eateries to modern, cutting-edge restaurants. Now that Busan, a city that boasts its own complex and diverse culinary scene with local products and fresh seafood, is part of the Michelin coverage, Korean cuisine should reach a wider, international audience. This, in turn, should boost “K-Food” tourism and add another branch to the country’s K-Culture branding.

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The Michelin Guide began in 1889 when brothers Andrew and Edouard Michelin founded their eponymous tire company and were looking for a way to help motorists develop their trips; thereby boosting car sales and in turn, tire sales. The brothers developed a small guide filled with handy information for travelers, including maps, information on how to change a tire, and places where a weary driver could take respite; a listing of places to eat or take shelter.

Since then, the Michelin Guide has become one of the most prestigious magazines and is renowned as a reliable source for information on restaurants around the world.

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With Busan added to the Michelin list, the company’s famously anonymous inspectors will recognize the best culinary talents and restaurants citywide. Inspectors evaluate the restaurants by the Michelin Star rating system: One Star for a very good restaurant in its category; Two Stars for restaurants with excellent cooking and worth a detour; Three Stars for restaurants that offer exceptional cuisine and are worth a special journey.

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The team of anonymous and independent inspectors, former professionals of the industry, will assess the local restaurants, applying its historical and universal methodology, based on 5 criteria:
- the quality of the ingredients;
- the mastery of cooking;
- the harmony of flavors;
- the personality of the chef through the cuisine; and
- the consistency both over time and across the entire menu.

The full selection of the Michelin Guide Seoul and Busan 2024 will be unveiled in February 2024 during a special ceremony. The list of rated restaurants will be available on the Michelin Guide website as well as on the free mobile App for iOS and Android.