Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
Chef Anh Sung-jae warns of scam targeting Mosu Seoul reservations
The new venue of Mosu Seoul in itaewon / Captured from Mosu's Instagram
By Lee Gyu-lee
Chef Anh Sung-jae reported a scam targeting customers who want to make reservations at his newly reopened fine dining restaurant, Mosu Seoul.
The chef posted a warning on his Instagram, alerting customers of fraudulent activities whereby individuals impersonate Mosu Seoul to demand advance payment for the restaurant's tasting course via unauthorized methods.
"This is an emergency notice regarding Mosu Seoul reservations. We have identified cases in which perpetrators forwarded calls to Mosu's official phone number using a KT service and falsely requesting advance payment,” he wrote, sharing that he had reported the incidents to the police.
"Mosu only accepts reservation payments through the Catch Table app and never requests bank transfers. If you are asked to pay a deposit through any method other than Catch Table, it is an act unrelated to Mosu. We deeply regret that our valued customers are being affected by this and sincerely hope that no further harm occurs."
Mosu Seoul temporarily closed in early 2024 after becoming Korea’s sole three-Michelin-starred restaurant in 2023 and 2024. It reopened last Saturday at a new location in central Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood. The menu only offers a Dinner Tasting Course, priced at 420,000 won ($288) with a corkage fee of 200,000 won.
When reservation slots opened earlier this month, all available seats were fully booked within just one day, with reservations quickly filling up through the end of June.