Boong-o Ppang popular at department store pop-ups

Boong-o Ppang pop-up [Courtesy of Lotte Department Store]

According to reports from the South Korean retail industry on Sunday, Boong-o Ppang, a Korean street food, has become exceptionally popular this winter thanks to special pop-up events in department stores.

Boong-o Ppang, a fish-shaped pastry filled with a variety of sweet and savory fillings, is a beloved street food item in Korea. The outer shell is traditionally made from a crispy yet soft batter, with sweet red bean paste being the most common filling. But as prices of ingredients such as red beans and flour rise, individual street vendors have struggled to manage the increasing costs and many small street shops have faced challenges, with consumers now turning their attention to offerings from department stores.

Lotte Department Store revealed that it sold over 100,000 pastries were sold during a month-long relay Boong-o Ppang pop-up event held from November to December 2023 across 15 locations. Hyundai Department Store also joined the trend this winter, hosting consecutive Boong-o Ppang pop-ups at branches at Jungdong, Mokdong, KINTEX, The Hyundai Daegu, and Ulsan among others.

A Boong-o Ppang pop-up opened by Shinsegae Department Store’s Gangnam branch attracted 1,000 to 1,500 customers daily.

“There was a significant influx of new customers, primarily those in their 20s and 30s looking for Boong-o Ppang experiences indoors. We plan to continue these pop-ups throughout 2024,” a department store official said.

The retail industry’s proactive Boong-o Ppang marketing efforts aim to capture the demand previously met by street vendors. With the prolonged trend of high prices, individual vendors have found it challenging to sustain the cost of producing the pastry.

The decline in outdoor activities during the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to a decrease in street vendor presence, further fueled the popularity of Boong-o Ppang within the retail sector. According to a survey conducted by convenience store GS25 in July 2023, 81 percent of 684 consumers expressed a desire to purchase Boong-o Ppang but could not find a suitable vendor.

According to Homeplus, frozen Boong-o Ppang sales from November to December 2023 jumped by 485 percent compared to the same period the previous year. Boong-o Ppang secured the top spot in the frozen dessert category, followed by frozen rice cake, macarons, and frozen sweet pancakes.