Portrait of Kim Sung Il
i. Biography
Kim Sung Il is the Executive Chef of La Yeon, the fine-dining Korean restaurant located at The Shilla Seoul. Having joined The Shilla in 1988, he has spent over three decades researching and refining Korean royal court and aristocratic gastronomic traditions. Under his leadership, La Yeon achieved three Michelin stars in the inaugural Michelin Guide Seoul 2017, and in 2025 he received the Michelin Mentor Chef Award.
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The Sunday email
Read about chefs like Kim Sung Il in the Sunday email.
Every Sunday we send a lead story and up to four more about the chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and hoteliers behind the restaurants, bars, wineries and hotels we cover.
Recent stories
Free. One email a week, and you can unsubscribe from any issue.