Chef Edward Lee Becomes Face Of  Seoul’s Culinary Push

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has unveiled Chef Edward Lee as the city’s honorary ambassador to promote the city’s unique flavours and culture globally to attract international tourists.

Seoul is banking on the Korean American chef’s prominence to worldwide global stardom as the runner-up on popular Netflix reality show Culinary Class Wars, making him the ideal fit to showcase the city’s food culture internationally and boost its status as a prime tourist destination.  

Besides his culinary accomplishments, Edward Lee has also been a backer of diversity in the culinary world, particularly lesser known and emerging ones, adding to Seoul’s values of inclusiveness.     

Following the announcement, Chef Edward Lee enthused, “Seoul is a city with a rich and diverse food culture. I will do my best to introduce the taste of Seoul to the world and share its unique charm with a wider audience.”

According to ASN data, the Seoul City Metropolitan Government has spent slightly over US$3.1m+ since Q322, with an average quarterly investment of US$273k during this period. It has been a rather muted first half of 2025, with Q225 forecasted to reach a mere US$154k. Its key deals include backing the city’s top-tier professional baseball team Doosan Bears (US$596k) and Seoul Fashion Week (US$530k).