Around 1992, the year he turned 17, he began working as a cook and went on to work across French, Italian, Japanese and Chinese cooking.
In 1994, he went to northern Jeju and worked on an anchovy fishing boat.
In December 2020, the Korean pub Yunseoul, which he ran in Hongdae, was introduced as a new hot spot in Seoul. In 2021, Yunseoul won its first Michelin star in the Michelin Guide Seoul 2022. When the guide was announced, the restaurant was temporarily closed for research on ingredients. In 2023, he opened the noodle restaurant Myeonseoul in Apgujeong-dong.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 49, he appeared as a White Spoon chef on Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars and became known. He lost 0–2 in a round 2 match and was eliminated. On Channel A’s Appa-neun Kkotjungnyeon in October, he said his family strongly opposed his becoming a chef when he was young.
In 2025, he opened the Korean noodle brand Seoyeon at Shinsegae Department Store’s Gangnam branch. Myeonseoul was newly added to the Michelin Guide Seoul & Busan 2025 Bib Gourmand.
In December, he returned to Culinary Class Wars 2 as a hidden White Spoon but was eliminated by judge Sung Anh. He later sold the dish at his restaurant under the name Anseongjemyeon.
The year he turned 51, Yunseoul kept its one star in the Michelin Guide 2026 for a fifth straight year. He appeared on SBS’s Choi Kang Road: Sikpoiler and worked with ingredients on Jirisan with Choi Kang-rok and Defconn.
In July, he appeared on a YouTube show with the actress Kim Seo-yeon and said they had been together for four years. In September, he said he would not appear in Culinary Class Wars 3, and Yunseoul closed.
Kim Do-yoon (born 1975) began cooking around 1992, the year he turned 17, and became known when he appeared as a White Spoon chef on Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars on Sep 17, 2024, the year he turned 49. His restaurant Yunseoul has held a Michelin star since 2021.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.