Dr. Hoon Choi

Before earnestly setting foot in the world of wine, Dr. Choi served as a public official for more than 30 years. In particular, he greatly contributed to the success of the 1988 Seoul Olympics by taking charge of the tourism and transport sectors. In his capacity as vice-minister of the Korean National Railroads Administration, he laid the foundation for high-speed trains.

After retiring from the public sector in 1994, he was engaged as a visiting professor at several universities. In 2000, he reached an important turning point in his life. At that time, wine culture was about to bloom in Korea and he led its advancement. He published Wine Review, a monthly wine magazine that eventually grew into Korea’s most influential wine magazine. He also established the Wine Academy, which in the past 10 years has educated many sommeliers considered to be key men and women in the domestic wine market.

In fact, he first became familiar with wines in the 1960s. In 1967, he went to France as a scholarship student subsidized by the French government and studied hotel management at Le Grand Hotel in Paris, the Albert Premier Hotel in Vichy and The Negresco Hotel in Nice. He also has a strong attachment to German wines and travelled to the country many times from 2003 to 2014, to taste wines from all 13 wine regions, while dedicating himself to promoting German wines to Korean consumers. Currently, he is writing a book about his knowledge and experiences concerning wines that he has accumulated throughout his life.