SEOUL, South Korea (AP) 鈥� When chef Jun Lee opened his restaurant SOIGN脡 in Seoul 13 years ago, explaining what fine dining meant was part of the job.
Customers would ask for 脿 la carte items at his 鈥渕odern Seoul cuisine鈥� restaurant, which only serves a tasting menu, or question why a meal took so long.
Today Lee finds himself answering different questions 鈥� queries about flavor combinations, cooking techniques, and the philosophy behind his dishes.
鈥淢any people either didn鈥檛 know this culture existed or weren鈥檛 particularly interested,鈥� said Lee, whose restaurant name means 鈥渨ell-made鈥� in French. 鈥淏ut now they鈥檙e becoming interested, and when they come to dine, the questions they ask 鈥� the style of their questions 鈥� have more depth.鈥�
Chefs and culinary experts say part of the shift is driven by cooking competition series 鈥淐ulinary Class Wars,鈥� where Lee recently appeared in the second season.
The unscripted series pits acclaimed 鈥渨hite spoon鈥� chefs 鈥� including Michelin-starred restaurateurs 鈥� against underdog 鈥渂lack spoon鈥� challengers. The second season of 鈥淐ulinary Class Wars鈥� debuted at No. 1 on 狈别迟蹿濒颈虫鈥檚 Global Top 10 (Non-English TV) list in December, and has remained on the chart for five consecutive weeks. Netflix has officially confirmed a third season.
Hundreds of thousands of booking requests
Tei Yong, CEO of CATCHTABLE, South Korea鈥檚 leading restaurant reservation platform, said the show鈥檚 influence far exceeded entertainment value.
鈥淚 never imagined a single TV show could generate this level of interest in gastronomy,鈥� Yong told The Associated Press.
In November 2024, after Season 1 aired, Seoul’s Metropolitan Government hosted a pop-up event featuring fine dining chefs from the Netflix series. When CATCHTABLE opened 150 reservations, nearly 450,000 people attempted to book 鈥� roughly 3,000 people competing for each spot.
Yong said the interest in gastronomy has 鈥渟ustained” after the first season. The average booking and waitlist registrations per participating restaurant jumped approximately 303% in the five weeks following Season 2鈥檚 premiere compared with the five weeks prior, he said.
Personal transformations
Chef Kim Sung-woon, of Table for Four in Seoul, said that reservations have tripled after the show.
His staff receives roughly 100 phone calls daily 鈥� so many they can barely answer while working.
But Kim said his life has changed in other ways, too.
鈥淐ustomers ask for photos constantly now 鈥� I feel like a celebrity,鈥� Kim said. 鈥淚鈥檝e received more letters than at any time since my military service. Young fans, even children, write to me.鈥�
Born and raised in Taean, a seaside town south of Seoul, Kim grew up farming and once dreamed of becoming a baseball umpire before stumbling into the restaurant industry. Despite decades in the culinary world, he said he was speechless when he arrived at the Netflix set and saw legendary chefs he鈥檇 idolized.
Lee has seen similar changes. Walking down the street, people now ask for photos. Requests for international collaboration have increased significantly.
鈥淏efore the show, foreigners made up the majority of our reservations,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淣ow South Korean customers book so quickly that foreign visitors often can鈥檛 get tables.鈥�
Modern Korean Cuisine
The show has proven particularly significant for chefs serving Korean cuisine with fine dining techniques 鈥� a category gaining international attention. For Lee, simply adding Korean ingredients doesn鈥檛 make a dish culturally Korean.
鈥淚f you just put kimchi in a dish and say it鈥檚 inspired by Korean food, does that make it Korean?鈥� he said. 鈥淜orean food culture isn鈥檛 about specific recipes 鈥� it鈥檚 the accumulated lifestyle habits people have created.鈥�
Beyond the familiar Korean barbecue and bibimbap that have come to define Korean cuisine globally, chefs like Lee are reclaiming a more nuanced cultural identity. He draws on French, American, and other techniques learned in New York kitchens. 鈥淏ut because I鈥檓 expressing them as a South Korean person living in Seoul, Korean elements naturally come through,鈥� he said.
Rather than translating concepts into Western terms, Lee keeps them in Korean 鈥� beginning with his signature dish, Hanwoo and Banchans 鈥� top-quality beef with an array of seasonal Korean condiments and vegetables.
鈥淪ide dishes in English suggest something optional. But in Korean culture, without banchan, a meal feels incomplete. The number of banchan signals whether it鈥檚 an ordinary day or a special occasion 鈥� emotions shared by those who live this culture.鈥�
Broader context
The show鈥檚 success builds on years of groundwork 鈥� the South Korean government has actively promoted Korean cuisine globally since the late 2000s.
Jihyung Andrew Kim, a professor in culinary arts and food management at Hanyang Women鈥檚 University, said entertainment content proved particularly effective in reaching younger audiences.
鈥淭he government made genuine efforts for a long time,鈥� Kim said. 鈥淏ut Netflix and cultural content 鈥� like BTS gaining international recognition 鈥� accelerated globalization of Korean food.鈥�
The academic observed that fine dining interest has grown particularly among diners in their 20s and 30s, driven by social media culture where dining experiences become shareable content.
Persistent challenges
Despite the enthusiasm, challenges remain.
Chef Kim pointed to service staff shortages following COVID-19 as a critical industry obstacle. 鈥淔or fine dining to truly develop, we need service teams to grow alongside chefs,鈥� Kim told the AP.
Lee said Korean fine dining chefs now face intense competition in a thriving market.
鈥淚f the market hadn鈥檛 broadened through Netflix and the show like this, it would have been a much more difficult environment,鈥� he said.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
