Portrait of Sung-Il Kim
i. Biography
Sung-Il Kim is the Executive Chef of La Yeon, the flagship Korean fine-dining restaurant at The Shilla Seoul. Having joined The Shilla in 1988, he guided La Yeon to three Michelin stars upon the Michelin Guide Seoul's inaugural 2016 edition, maintaining three stars for six consecutive years. Recognized for preserving and modernizing Korean royal court and Jongga clan culinary traditions, he received the Michelin Mentor Chef Award in 2025.
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The Sunday email
Read about chefs like Sung-Il Kim 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.