K-pop song revitalizes sales of traditional jelly

K-pop singer Bibi eats Korean sweet chestnut jelly, yanggaeng, in a music video for "Bam Yang Gang." (The artist's official YouTube channel)

"Bam Yang Gang (chestnut jelly)" by K-pop singer Bibi has become a sensation in South Korea, not just topping music charts but also dramatically boosting sales of the traditional jelly, yanggaeng.

According to industry data, from the song’s release on Feb. 13 till March 6, major convenience store chains in South Korea, including CU, GS25, Seven Eleven, and Emart24, reported an increase of up to 100 percent in sales of Haitai Confectionery's “Yeon Yanggaeng."

Crafted from glutinous rice flour, sugar and nuts or seeds, yanggaeng was a popular homemade snack for Koreans, before chocolates and candies arrived here.

In today's packaged yanggaeng market, Haitai’s Yeon Yanggaeng commands a 80 percent share, while Crown Confectionery's Bam Yanggaeng accounts for the remaining 20 percent.

Yoon Young-dal, chief of Crown-Haitai Group, the parent company of the two confectionery firms, revealed Tuesday that the group has bolstered its production capacity for the traditional jelly products to meet recent spikes in demand.

“Thanks to the song, we had to increase our production capacity. The song's popularity has brought us a lot of benefits," he said during a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the song “Bam Yang Gang” is atop Korea’s major music streamlining charts, including Melon Top 100 and Vibe.

Described as a “breezy song with a touch of waltz” by its producer and writer Chang Ki-ha, Bibi’s latest tune depicts memories of past love, through a simple act of lovers sharing the yanggaeng jelly.

By Korea Herald(khnews@heraldcorp.com)