Nathan Kim
Seoul Ambassador
super.somm
Nathan Kim began his hospitality journey in casual restaurants and bars, later moving to Tokyo to study bartending. It was there that he encountered an inspiring sommelier whose elegance and precision captivated him leading Nathan to transition fully into the world of fine dining. Since then, he has built a distinguished career within Korea’s luxury hotel sector.
He joined Conrad Seoul as a pre-opening team member in 2011, rising through the ranks to become Head Sommelier by 2019 and lead the full beverage program. In 2020, he once again took on an opening project, this time as Beverage Manager at Fairmont Ambassador Seoul. Since 2022, Nathan has served as Executive Sommelier and Chief Partner at Josun Hotels & Resorts, one of Korea’s largest local hotel groups, overseeing beverage strategy and development across the portfolio but with a focus on Josun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel by Marriott in Gangnam.
Between 2014 and 2018, Nathan distinguished himself through international competitions including Korea Sommelier of the Year, the International Young Sommeliers Competition in Liechtenstein, the South African Sommelier World Cup, and the All-Japan National Sommelier Concours.
He currently holds the distinctions of Maître Sommelier of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, a Jurade of Saint-Émilion, and a Knight of the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne (OCC). He also serves as an ambassador for several fine wine and luxury brands, notably as the first official Asian ambassador for Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite).
Nathan is known for his narrative-driven pairing philosophy, fluency in multiple languages and his ability to design hands-on sommelier training programs tailored for the luxury hospitality context. In 2023, he founded SOMZ, a collaborative network for Korea’s next-generation sommeliers. SOMZ currently includes over 40 young sommeliers from 17 of Korea’s top fine dining restaurants, and has quickly emerged as a cultural force producing winners in every major national sommelier competition since its foundation.