‘wine switching’ controversy fallout leads Chef Ahn Seong-Jae to halt even his YouTube activity. Netflix broadcast screen

Chef Ahn Seong-Jae, who sparked the ‘wine switching’ controversy at the Michelin two-star restaurant ‘Mosu Seoul’, has temporarily suspended operation of his eponymous YouTube channel.

On the 13th, the YouTube production team for the channel ‘Chef Ahn Seong-Jae’ stated, “We intend to take some time to reorganize for the time being in order to review the channel direction, overall operations, and careful content production.”

They added, “We will strive to return with greater accountability and better content.”

The spark was a video posted on the 6th. That day, Ahn Seong-Jae posted an apology on his social networking service (SNS) Instagram regarding the wine switching controversy that occurred at Mosu Seoul, saying, “We sincerely apologize for the disappointment caused by inadequate service at the establishment.”

However, about an hour after the apology was posted, the channel uploaded a video titled ‘Four late-night snack menus recommended for a peckish night’. This led to questions about the sincerity of the apology.

The channel had been making regular uploads on Wednesday evenings. In a notice, the production team said, “The content scheduled for today has been replaced with highlights of late-night snacks.” As of the morning of the 14th, the video had about 25,000 ‘dislikes’. Comments also continued with criticism such as “A two-star mentality” “Is this the right timing for this to go up now?”.

The YouTube subscriber count has also decreased. The channel had around 1.25 million subscribers in March, but now has 1.23 million, and the loss of subscribers appears likely to accelerate.

Previously, on the 21st of last month, a wine-related online community carried a post that read, “At Mosu Seoul, I ordered the 2000 vintage of ‘Chateau Leoville Barton’, but the 2005 vintage, about 100,000 KRW cheaper, was served.” Mosu Seoul apologized the next day in an official statement, acknowledging that the wine guidance had not been provided accurately and that the response was insufficient.

Mosu Seoul previously operated as a Michelin three-star restaurant in Korea before closing, then reopened in March 2025 in Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. In the latest guide, it returned with two Michelin stars.