CU Launches Yangpyeong Seoul Gukbap Series

Yangpyeong Seoul Haejangguk Recreates Traditional Cooking Method

Convenience Store Gukbap Sales Steadily Increasing Every Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] CU announced on the 30th that it will launch a home meal replacement (HMR) gukbap series in collaboration with Yangpyeong Seoul Haejangguk.

The gukbap series includes three types: Yangpyeong Seoul Haejangguk, Yangpyeong Seoul Dakgaejang, and Yangpyeong Seoul Jangteo Gukbap. Each is priced at 6,000 won.

The products faithfully reproduce the traditional cooking method of Yangpyeong Seoul Haejangguk, which first opened in 1975, packaging the ingredients as they are served in the restaurant. Yangpyeong Seoul Haejangguk uses domestic lamb, seonji (coagulated ox blood), dried radish greens, and traditional doenjang (fermented soybean paste), cooked for 48 hours in a traditional way to create a deep flavor. Dakgaejang and Jangteo Gukbap also feature refreshing broth made with chicken and beef brisket respectively, along with various vegetables.

A CU representative explained, "We created over 80 prototypes and conducted tests to develop Yangpyeong Seoul Haejangguk as a convenience store HMR product."

The reason CU pursued collaboration with Yangpyeong Seoul Haejangguk is to expand various food products in HMR targeting the increasing number of single diners. In fact, sales in the donbap and gukbap category at CU began to surge sharply from 2016, when lunchbox popularity increased, and have recorded significant growth every year.

According to CU, the year-over-year sales growth rate of donbap and gukbap was 127.4% in 2016, more than doubling, followed by a flood of related product launches, with steady growth of 89.7% in 2017, 27.2% in 2018, and 29.3% in 2019.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.