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Korean winter food: From street snacks to kimjang traditions

pdt · 2025. 11. 21.

Korean winter food: From street snacks to kimjang traditions

Korea has distinct seasons, and when winter arrives, people naturally look for warm and comforting foods.

From street snacks found on every corner to traditional dishes prepared together by families, these flavors capture the essence of the season. Today, we’ll introduce some of the most representative Korean winter food.

Korean winter food 01: Warm street snacks that heat you up

The classics of sweetness: Hotteok and Bungeoppang—types and prices

Hotteok and bungeoppang are iconic winter street snacks in Korea, and thanks to the rise of K-culture, they have become must-try Korean winter food for many foreign visitors.

Hotteok usually costs between 1,000 and 2,000 KRW, and each vendor offers different variations. Seed hotteok comes filled with sunflower seeds or peanuts for a nutty flavor, while japchae hotteok is stuffed with sweet-savory stir-fried glass noodles for a unique twist.

Bungeoppang is a fish-shaped pastry made by pouring batter into a mold, and its name literally comes from “bread shaped like a fish.” Traditionally it’s filled with sweet red bean paste, but nowadays you can also find custard, sweet potato, or chocolate versions. A common price is around 2,000 KRW for three pieces.

Hotteok and bungeoppang are often sold from small food carts, and many vendors prefer cash or bank transfer over card payments, so carrying some cash is convenient

⚠️ Tip: Both snacks are extremely hot when freshly made, so be careful not to burn your mouth.

Fish cake and tteokbokki with the same vibe as KPop Demon Hunters

Fish cake (eomuk) and tteokbokki frequently appear in Kpop Demon Hunters, and they are some of the most iconic Korean winter street foods. As the film shows Lumi enjoying these snacks, more foreign visitors have started seeking out tteokbokki and eomuk during their trips to Korea.

Among these winter favorites, eomuk is especially famous in Busan. In particular, the Eomuk Alley in Bupyeong Kkangtong Market is filled with long-running fish-cake shops, making it widely known as the home of “Busan eomuk.”

When it comes to tteokbokki, Seoul’s Sindang-dong is impossible to leave out. Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town began as a cluster of street stalls after the Korean War and developed into a well-known area in the 1970s. Today, it remains a landmark for traditional Korean-style tteokbokki, offering customizable spice levels to suit different tastes.

With more international visitors in recent years, many shops now even offer milder options, including soy-sauce tteokbokki or creamy tteokbokki made with little to no gochujang.

For those wanting to try a wider variety of winter snacks including tteokbokki and eomuk visiting one of Seoul’s many traditional markets is also a great option.

📍 Locations


📍 Major Traditional Markets in Seoul

Korean winter food 02: Hearty hot soup dishes enjoyed in everyday life

Korea’s ultimate comfort food: Gukbap and jjigae

Gukbap is a classic Korean meal that serves rice and hot broth together in one bowl. There are many variations, but they all share one thing in common: they warm you from the inside out. It is believed to have originated in the late 1500s as an affordable meal sold quickly at markets and street stalls to provide a hot dish for everyday workers.

Thanks to this background, gukbap has remained a staple in daily Korean life. Many Koreans even say it's “the first thing that comes to mind when you don’t know what to eat for lunch,” showing just how popular and familiar this dish is.

A Seoul roadmap for enjoying Korean winter food

If you want to experience only the dishes Koreans actually enjoy during winter, follow the simple roadmap below.

1) Morning/Lunch:Start your day in Seoul with a hearty bowl of gukbap
Dishes like sundae-gukbap or bean sprout gukbap come with hot, comforting broth and are perfect for warming up on cold winter mornings and afternoons.

2) Afternoon: Explore winter street snacks throughout the city
In the afternoon, visit Gwangjang Market or central Seoul to try winter snacks like kimbap, eomuk, and tteokbokki—foods that also appear in K-pop Demon Hunters. They offer a vivid taste of Korean winter street food culture.

3) Evening: End the day with a home-style Seoul jjigae

For dinner stews like kimchi jjigae or doenjang jjigae served bubbling in a hot stone pot are ideal. Paired with rice, these dishes offer a warm, comforting finish to a typical Korean winter day.




Korean winter food 03: The kimjang tradition that supports Korea’s winter


Kimjang, Korea’s traditional winter custom



Kimchi is one of Korea’s most famous fermented foods, and many Korean families still make large batches of it before winter. This tradition is called gimjang, a seasonal practice where families prepare and store kimchi together.

Similar to Europe’s sauerkraut or Italy’s preserved sauces, gimjang is an important winter preparation culture. Its value was recognized in 2013 when it was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Across Korea, modern kimjang festivals are held each year, allowing people to experience and share this tradition. One major example is the 2025 Seoul Kimjang Festival, where participants can try salting cabbage, mixing seasonings, and packing kimchi to understand the meaning behind gimjang.

Even today, supermarkets in Korea mark a special “gimjang season,” showing that gimjang remains an important cultural symbol of the Korean winter.

Korean winter food is more than just a list of dishes it's a culture shaped by history, wisdom, and the warmth of community that helped Koreans endure the cold.

From the simple joy of affordable street snacks to the richness created through large-scale kimjang gatherings, these food traditions make the Korean winter truly special.

If you're spending winter in Korea, I hope you enjoy these diverse Korean winter food experiences and create warm, unforgettable memories.