Korean Chef takes Michelin to court over inclusion in guide

Michelin included Ristorante Eo in its 2019 guide to Seoul and praised the Milan-trained chef, who it said "delivers highly accomplished modern Italian cuisine".

It added "each dish clearly demonstrates his insight into the integrity and simplicity of Italian cooking".

But the chef was unhappy Ristorante Eo had been listed against his will and accused Michelin's notoriously secretive method for judging restaurants as "the cruellest test in the world".

Mr Eo took to Facebook to explain his decision, saying he did not support the way Michelin judged restaurants.

"There are thousands of restaurants in Seoul that are on the same level or better and more honest than those listed on the Michelin guide," he wrote on Facebook in a translation provided by CNN.

"It is a sad joke that a mere 170 of them are representing Seoul."

In another post, he confirmed he had resorted to filing a criminal complaint against Michelin's "behaviour of forcibly listing (restaurants) against their will and without a clear criteria".

"Including my restaurant Eo in the corrupt book is a defamation against members of Eo and the fans," Mr Eo continued.

"Like a ghost, they did not have a contact number and I was only able to get in touch through email. Although I clearly refused listing of my restaurant, they included it at their will this year as well."

The chef said he told Michelin in his email to the company: "Numerous restaurants and the workers are wasting away their soul (money, time, and effort) to pursue the mirage that is Michelin star."

Despite praise for his food, Mr Eo told CNN that Michelin's guide was a "cruel system".

"It's the cruellest test in the world," he said. "It forces the chefs to work around a year waiting for a test (and) they don't know when it's coming.

"It is humiliating to see my restaurant given a rating in that unwholesome book."

Last year, a Bangkok grandmother who became the first street food chef in Thailand to be awarded a prestigious Michelin star told news.com.au the honour had been a curse.

Jay Fai became a national celebrity in December 2017, with her face splashed across Thai and international media.

But a few months after the honour, she told news.com.au she had been harassed by government auditors and her staff had struggled to deal with the increased pressure associated with the restaurant's new-found fame.