FRAUDULENT SELECTION OF MICHELIN GUIDE

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The Michelin Guide is to announce this year's fourth Seoul edition tomorrow. Now to the general public, the Michelin Guide had been serving as an indicator of high quality food, and obtaining a Michelin star was a huge factor in determining the success of a restaurant. However KBS has found that some consulting agencies received illegal money for helping restaurants obtain Michelin stars. We have also obtained a consulting service contract and the content of messages exchanged between a consultant and a restaurant based in Korea.

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This restaurant based in the luxury hall of the Lotte Department Store features Korean traditional decor adorned with high-end materials and cultural relics, which cost 4.5 billion won. The restaurant opened in November 2014 after just three months of preparation. Its owner decided to open the place after obtaining information that it might receive Michelin stars.

[Soundbite] YOON KYUNG-SOOK(OWNER OF YUN-GA MYUNG-GA) : "A Michelin broker kept asking me when I would open my restaurant. He said I had to open it by the end of 2014 no matter what."

The owner's sister had already obtained two Michelin stars in Japan. She was the one who introduced to her sister an American named Ernest Singer.

[Soundbite] YOON KYUNG-SOOK(OWNER OF YUN-GA MYUNG-GA) : "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. I thought I was lucky to receive his help."

Singer had close ties to Michelin. Just two months after the restaurant opened, it was visited by Michelin inspectors. It happened two years before the Seoul edition of the Michelin Guide was even published. Ernest Singer's messages obtained by a KBS reporter show that he already knew that the Seoul edition would be published in late 2016. The news about the Seoul edition was first reported in late 2015. The official announcement was made the following year. At the time, only Michelin Guide insiders had access to this information. The messages even contain real-time information about secret negotiations between Michelin and the Korea Tourism Organization. The messages said that in February 2015, the Korea Tourism Organization approved the budget and asked to keep this information a secret until April. The fact that the Korean government provided two billion won for the deal was disclosed in late 2017. It was a top secret at the time. Singer also offered consulting services to help the restaurant acquire Michelin stars. This is the consulting contract signed at the time. The annual fee is 40,000 dollars. Plus, air fare and accommodation fees for consultants, who would visit the restaurant at least six times a year. The restaurant owner signed the contract but terminated it later. When the Seoul edition was announced, her restaurant was not even mentioned there.

[Soundbite] YOON KYUNG-SOOK(OWNER OF YUN-GA MYUNG-GA) : "I realized that there is conspiracy and money behind Michelin stars."

[Soundbite] "If I had known what it takes to acquire Michelin stars, I would have made a different choice at the time."

Michelin has denied providing any illegal services or demanding money from restaurants in return for stars.