Chef Jeong Ho-young: "I hold Korean and Western cuisine licenses, but not for Japanese cuisine"

Star chef Jeong Ho-young has drawn attention by revealing that, contrary to his image as a Japanese cuisine expert, he does not hold a domestic Japanese cuisine cook license.

However, it was also revealed that he holds relevant qualifications obtained in Japan and possesses extensive field experience, along with licenses for Korean cuisine and Western cuisine. This unexpected career history behind the label "unlicensed" is garnering significant interest.

Chef Jeong appeared on the KBS 1TV program "Morning Yard - Quiz Show! A Thousand Years" aired on July 31, where he shared stories regarding his culinary certifications.

During the broadcast, a quiz question appeared stating, "Jeong Ho-young does not have a Japanese cuisine cook license," and fellow guest Chef Kang Leo correctly chose "O" as the answer.

In response, Jeong admitted the fact, referring to himself as "unlicensed."

He explained, "I do have qualifications obtained in Japan while studying there. However, because I was so busy in Korea, I couldn't find the time. I do have a pufferfish cooking license, though."

He continued, "I have certifications obtained in Japan, but I don't have a Japanese cuisine license obtained in Korea. I have licenses for Korean cuisine and Western cuisine; I only lack the one for Japanese cuisine."

Jeong added that while he obtained licenses for Korean and Western cuisine before entering the workforce, it became difficult to find time to prepare for certification exams after diving seriously into the culinary industry due to field activities and management responsibilities.

In particular, Jeong is known as a chef who learned authentic Japanese cuisine through studying in Japan and has since built extensive experience in Japanese cuisine professional settings.

As a strong image of a Japanese cuisine master has been established among the public through his specialty restaurants and broadcasting activities, this confession was received as an unexpected fact.

However, there is also a perspective in the culinary field that the presence or absence of a license is a separate issue from actual cooking skills. While a culinary license is a basic competency verification process recognized by the state, in the field, long-term training, experience, understanding of ingredients, and the accumulation of skills serve as more important evaluation criteria.

Jeong's confession drew interest not as a simple controversy over being an "unlicensed Japanese cuisine chef," but as an example showing the realistic story of a professional hidden behind a brilliant career.

Along with Jeong, Chefs Kang Leo, Jung Ji Sun, and Kim Do-yoon appeared on the broadcast to share their respective culinary philosophies and experiences.