Fewer Carts, Higher Prices: Korea's Bungeoppang Boom Moves Beyond the Street

A winter favorite becomes harder to find

Seoul's registered street vendors fell from 6,079 in 2020 to 4,741 in 2024, even as demand for bungeoppang, Korea's familiar fish shaped winter pastry, draws queues of residents and tourists. By December 16, 2025, the treat that once offered a cheap stop on a cold walk home is becoming harder to find on sidewalks and more expensive when a cart does appear.

Bungeoppang's sweet smell, rising from hot cast iron molds, remains a seasonal signal for many Koreans. Yet the street scene around it is changing. Red beans, batter, cooking oil and liquefied petroleum gas cost more, while enforcement against unlicensed stalls makes it harder for sellers to remain in busy locations. Some move into shop doorways or convenience store corners. Others leave the business.

Customers are responding in different ways. Some buy fewer pastries after seeing the new prices. Others buy more when they finally find a cart, knowing the next opportunity may be difficult to locate. Visitors who discover the snack through social media join local customers in queues, especially around shopping streets and subway interchanges.

Supermarkets, convenience stores, cafes and specialty shops are filling part of the gap. Frozen packs offer a cheaper option at home, while croissant style pastries and mochi fillings turn the winter snack into a more expensive dessert. The result is a market moving in two directions: fewer familiar street stalls, but more ways to buy the pastry.

Bungsekwon, an app that helps users locate stands, has more than 100,000 downloads. Many of its pinned locations, however, are inactive because vendors have relocated to avoid fines or stopped trading. Finding a marked spot on a map no longer guarantees finding a hot griddle.

Why the numbers no longer work for vendors

Small vendors face rising costs on nearly every part of the pastry. Batter, red beans and oil go into each batch, while gas keeps the heavy molds hot. Sellers must cover those expenses from a snack traditionally associated with low prices and a limited winter selling season.

A vendor in Daegu who moved his cart inside a convenience store described how little room remained between his costs and earnings:

A 5 kilogram bag of batter now costs 11,000 won. Even if I sell everything I make in a day, I barely clear 33,000 won. With rising costs of batter, LPG gas, and red beans, it is impossible to keep the old price of three for 1,000 won. A 20 kilogram LPG tank costs around 53,000 won and lasts about five days.

Busy locations can help a seller spread daily expenses across more purchases. Frequent moves make that harder, because customers cannot reliably return to the same stand. A former vendor in his 30s explained why he stopped selling:

Selling in busy areas with strong volume could allow cheaper prices, but with stricter crackdowns, it is difficult to stay in one place or build a steady customer base. That is why I quit.

Shop entrances and convenience store corners offer some vendors an alternative to the sidewalk. For others, the combination of higher ingredient bills, possible fines and an uncertain location leaves too little income to continue. The pressure concerns both the cost of making each pastry and the ability to sell enough of them in one place.

Complaints and enforcement reshape the street

Daegu received 489 reports of illegal street vending across its nine districts in 2024. A local public official described the frequency of enforcement and the penalties imposed under current rules:

Illegal vending reports come in almost daily, so we conduct daily crackdowns. By law, we must impose fines that range from 50,000 to 150,000 won.

Several districts have stepped up action against unlicensed stalls following complaints about crowding and hygiene. In Seoul, one cart attracted large crowds after becoming popular online, then drew complaints and was eventually shut down. The same attention that brings customers can make a stand more difficult to keep open.

Street food operates under rules covering location, sanitation and permits, with requirements varying by district. Authorities weigh lively streets and affordable snacks against congestion, hygiene and safety. Several cities have moved in recent years to restrict unlicensed vending on busy sidewalks and in subway stations.

Traditional tented stalls, known as pojangmacha, face related pressures. Many continue to operate, but rules around food preparation and waste handling have tightened. Enforcement teams respond to complaints, make rounds, issue warnings and levy fines.

Some officials say clearer routes to legal status could help vendors and residents. Suggested measures include designated vending zones, food safety training and consistent operating hours. Such arrangements could make stalls more predictable for customers while reducing the risk that vendors must repeatedly relocate.

Red beans drive the price squeeze

Domestic adzuki beans, used to make the classic sweet filling, have become a major source of higher costs. Wholesale prices have hovered at roughly 720,000 to 790,000 won per 40 kilograms in recent months, sharply above their level a year earlier.

Government and industry data trace the increase to less cultivation and weather damage to yields. Between 2019 and 2023, the area devoted to growing red beans in Korea fell by more than a third. Production dropped by about a quarter, reaching its lowest level since 2017. Farmers have planted more profitable crops, while unusual weather has reduced harvests.

Imported red beans have also become more expensive, limiting the savings available from changing suppliers. Imports come largely from China and other suppliers, and a weak currency can raise their cost further. Sellers therefore face pressure from both domestic and imported ingredients.

Red bean paste, called pat in Korean, is made by cooking and sweetening adzuki beans into a smooth filling. Vendors ladle it onto batter in fish shaped molds, cover it with more batter, close the griddle and flip it. Flour, sugar, eggs and oil contribute to batter costs, while liquefied petroleum gas heats the molds.

Cooking oil prices surged around the world in recent years. Some prices have eased, but costs remain above levels before the pandemic. Gas tanks add another expense that cart owners must recover during their selling season. When ingredients and fuel become dearer, vendors can charge more, reduce the portion or change the filling.

What customers now pay

Central Seoul areas such as Gangnam and Jongno now have street prices of 1,000 to 1,500 won for a single pastry. Familiar offers of two for 1,000 won or three for 2,000 won have given way to a purchase that takes a larger share of a student's or worker's snack budget.

A vendor who had sold bungeoppang in Seoul for many years said he resisted changing the price until higher costs left him little choice:

I tried not to shrink the size or reduce the filling. I eventually had to raise the price, and most regulars understood. Costs of red beans, flour, and oil do not really go down.

An office worker described hesitating when the price reached 1,500 won per piece. Although the pastry still tasted the same, she decided to buy just one. The higher price changes the size of the purchase even when customers still want the snack.

Convenience stores have responded with miniature versions and bundles intended to keep the cost per piece lower. Some chains sell bungeoppang throughout the year rather than only in winter. Those formats aim to keep it accessible to younger shoppers and families managing everyday expenses.

Premium versions occupy a different price range. Near Euljiro 1 ga, a cart sells croissant style bungeoppang for 5,000 won with cheese, Nutella, apple, sweet potato, strawberry and blueberry fillings. Its queue often includes visitors from China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Japan, alongside local customers.

Cafes and freezer aisles take a larger role

Coffee chains now sell bungeoppang alongside lattes, while bakeries, convenience stores and supermarkets expand the places where customers can find it. Ediya said it had sold more than 222,000 bungeoppang since late September. A small bungeoppang keyring marketed as a good luck item also sold out.

Convenience chains have expanded their pastry programs, and some cook the snack on site using griddles. Other retailers offer packs ready to heat in an air fryer at home. These options serve customers who want the pastry without searching for a street cart.

CJ CheilJedang reported that online sales of its fish shaped waffle snack with sweet red bean filling rose 45 percent from a year earlier in November. A pack containing about a dozen pieces sells for roughly 7,600 won, or around 630 won per piece. That is less than half the 1,500 won price charged at many central city carts.

Frozen packs give households a way to stock up for a movie night while spending less per piece. Food makers are also expanding beyond the traditional filling, with matcha and chocolate versions joining red bean products.

Large brands see opportunities overseas as Korean flavors gain more shelf space in the United States and other markets. One food company plans to introduce a bungeoppang line in the United States, including flavors such as matcha aimed at younger customers who already enjoy Korean snacks. No launch date was given.

The planned expansion follows the wider movement of gochujang, kimchi and Korean style desserts from niche products into mainstream grocery baskets across North America. For bungeoppang makers, the fish shape and familiar sweet fillings offer another way to reach those buyers.

Specialty shops turn a cheap snack into dessert

Dedicated shops and pop up carts are taking bungeoppang into a more expensive part of the market. Croissant style shells and buttery laminated dough give some versions a crisp texture, while cream, fruit and other fillings appeal to younger customers who share photographs online.

The 5,000 won version near Euljiro 1 ga illustrates that shift. Its mix of local workers and travelers shows how a snack associated with inexpensive winter comfort can also become a specialty purchase, with customers choosing between cheese, chocolate spread and fruit fillings.

Mochi filled bungeoppang has attracted attention as well. At Mochigo Haenggung in Suwon, flavors include milk cream, matcha chocolate, Tokyo banana, mugwort choux cream, and sweet pumpkin sweet potato. Prices typically range from 2,900 to 3,700 won.

Cafes and specialty sellers provide another outlet for demand as carts become less common. Their products serve a different purpose from a small bag bought on the way home: a cafe treat after a long day, a novel dessert or something to photograph and share.

Tourists and nostalgia sustain the search

Bungeoppang sits alongside hotteok, roasted sweet potatoes and fish cake skewers among the snacks Koreans seek when temperatures fall. Night markets and shopping streets catering to visitors use these winter favorites to attract customers, while social media sends more people toward particular stalls.

A video of a visually appealing cart can encourage people to travel across town. Photos of fish shaped molds, a griddle being flipped and steam rising from a paper bag communicate the experience across languages. For travelers, the pastry offers a seasonal local taste without the time needed for a seated meal.

Carts near landmarks and major subway interchanges often sell out earlier than in past years. When a stand appears, customers may buy several pastries at once or try flavors available for a limited period. The resulting queue attracts the attention of more passersby, strengthening demand at the stalls that remain.

A homemaker in her 30s described the memories behind her attachment to the street version:

As a child, I remember holding a warm bag of bungeoppang my parents bought me in winter. It is sad to see that tradition fading. Cafes sell them now, but it is not the same.

Her experience reflects why a cafe counter or freezer pack may satisfy the craving without replacing the street ritual. For many customers, the appeal includes holding a warm bag outdoors and recalling earlier winters with family, rather than simply eating the same filling.

The fish shape finds new uses

Bungeoppang arrived in Korea in the 20th century, inspired by a similar fish shaped pastry in Japan. It became part of the country's winter routine, associated with colder nights, school uniforms under puffy jackets and the smell of batter cooking on a street griddle.

The shape now appears beyond the pastry itself. Some dessert omakase menus feature playful courses built around it. Blind date events have adopted bungeoppang themes, and merchandise includes a necklace shaped like the snack. A board game planned for launch recreates flipping a grill and racing to keep up with orders.

Ediya's sold out keyring provides another example of customers buying the image as well as the food. Nostalgia and the recognizable shape help carry interest into merchandise and themed experiences, even while the number of street vendors falls.

Korea's bungeoppang market now spans several distinct needs. A curbside cart warms cold hands, a cafe offers a more elaborate dessert, and a frozen multipack helps a household control spending. Food companies are testing export opportunities while retailers add flavors and formats at home.

Higher costs and enforcement continue to put pressure on the traditional street business. Strong demand is keeping the pastry prominent, but more of that demand is being met indoors, through packaged products and at prices far above the old bag of pastries bought with a few coins.

Key Points

• Seoul's registered street vendors fell from 6,079 in 2020 to 4,741 in 2024.
• Higher ingredient and fuel costs, together with enforcement against unlicensed vending, are pushing sellers to move indoors, relocate or quit.
• Daegu received 489 illegal vending reports in 2024; a local official described daily crackdowns and fines of 50,000 to 150,000 won.
• Domestic red bean wholesale prices have hovered around 720,000 to 790,000 won per 40 kilograms, following declines in cultivation and production.
• Street prices in central Seoul have reached 1,000 to 1,500 won per pastry, while specialty versions cost more.
• CJ CheilJedang reported a 45 percent annual increase in online sales in November; a frozen pack costs roughly 630 won per piece.
• Ediya sold more than 222,000 bungeoppang since late September, while cafes, convenience stores and specialty shops expanded their ranges.
• Tourist interest, social media and family memories sustain demand, although Bungsekwon's more than 100,000 downloads cannot keep disappearing stalls in place.
• New fillings, merchandise and planned exports are extending the pastry's reach beyond its traditional winter street market.