that Yun Kyoung-suk, who owns Yunga-Myunga in Seoul, has filed a complaint accusing the guide of fraud and attempted extortion. Michelin denies the claims, and says it will take legal action against Kyoung-suk in response., Kyoung-suk explains that she heard about a “Michelin broker” named Ernest Singer, a Tokyo-based wine importer and US national, from her sister who runs the restaurant Yunke in Tokyo.
“The broker said that our restaurant in Japan received two Michelin stars, but I could easily receive three stars if the restaurant in Korea looked more traditional and provided services of higher quality,” Kyoung-suk told KBS. “I thought I was lucky to receive his help.”Kyoung-suk initially signed $40,000 per-year contract, and raced to open her restaurant — with expensive traditional Korean decor — before November 2014, in a timeline she says was set by Singer.
But Kyoung-suk later pulled out of the contract, and — related or not — she was not included in the Michelin Guide.Korea Times . “It doesn’t ask for money in return for selection and the so-called consultant connected with the accusation has no contractual relations with Michelin.”