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Anchor report: Mosu Seoul — the fine-dining restaurant run by Chef An Seong-jae — issued an official apology after allegations that staff swapped a guest’s ordered wine went public. The controversy kicked off on the 21st when someone posted on an online community claiming they’d had their wine swapped at Mosu. The diner said they’d booked the restaurant’s wine-pairing service, which pairs a different wine with each course. When the main course, “wood-fired Korean beef,” was served, the wine presented was a 2005 Château Léoville Barton Saint-Julien. The menu, however, listed the wine as the 2000 vintage of Château Léoville Barton Saint-Julien, priced at ₩800,000 (about $600). The 2005 vintage served was ₩100,000 (about $75) cheaper per bottle than the 2000. When the diner asked staff to confirm the vintage and raised the issue, an employee — reportedly without apologizing — said, “Then we’ll let you taste the 2000 vintage as well.” The poster questioned whether such an error is acceptable at a two‑star Michelin restaurant and called the lack of an apology and the staff’s handling disappointing. As the story spread online, Mosu posted on its official social channels on the 23rd, saying it would review service across the board and take steps to prevent a recurrence. “We sincerely apologize for failing to provide clear guidance during the wine-pairing service, which caused confusion, and for not offering sufficient explanation in our subsequent response, which left customers deeply disappointed,” the statement read. Mosu said Chef An Seong-jae and the entire team are taking the matter very seriously and pledged they would not offer a perfunctory apology but would work sincerely to rebuild trust with customers. Still, critics say the apology omitted details about how the wine swap happened and whether it was intentional, calling the response unbefitting the restaurant’s reputation. Mosu Seoul first opened in 2017 and was named South Korea’s only three‑star Michelin restaurant in 2023, but it closed amid a relocation dispute. It reopened last March and, a year later in March, regained two stars in the Michelin Guide. Dinner runs about ₩420,000 per person (about $315). This was the anchor report. For news inquiries or tips to Yonhap News TV, contact KakaoTalk/Line: jebo23, Park Jin-hyeong (jin@yna.co.kr)
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