SEOUL • First, the Michelin Guide gave him a star.

Then, it downgraded him, putting his eatery in a listing.

Calling that an insult, chef Eo Yun-gwon has now taken legal action against the guide after it included his restaurant in its Seoul edition, despite his request not to be listed.

Eo, 49, runs modern Italian eatery Ristorante Eo in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, reported The Korea Herald.

It is the first time that a Korean chef has sued the guide for being listed. Ristorante Eo was given one star in the inaugural 2017 Seoul edition, and in 2018.

In the 2019 edition, it was downgraded to The Plate listing.

Its status remained the same in the 2020 guide released on Nov 14.

On Nov 15, Eo posted that he had filed a suit against the guide for including his restaurant with others on The Plate, questioning the criteria applied.

The action amounted to "defamation against the Eo (restaurant) family and its fans".

In his Facebook post, Eo said he sent e-mail messages on multiple occasions to the guide after his restaurant was first listed in the 2017 edition, stating he wished to be left out.

French chef Marc Veyrat also sued the guide recently for "dishonouring" him, after his restaurant La Maison Des Bois in the French Alps was downgraded to two stars.

He requested his eatery to be removed from the guide, citing the inspector's "incompetence".