SNS-Fueled "Ban-Gal-Shot" Craze: Yonsei Milk Cream Bread Sets Record with Fastest 100 Million Sales

BGF Retail, which operates the convenience store chain CU, announced on April 30 that its private brand (PB) Yonsei Milk Cream Bread surpassed a cumulative sales volume of 100 million units just four years and three months after its launch.

Yonsei Milk Cream Bread sold at CU.

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Launched in January 2022, Yonsei Milk Cream Bread sparked a "Half-Cut Shot" trend on social networking services (SNS), in which users shared photos of the bread sliced in half to reveal its filling. The product has consistently maintained annual sales of over 20 million units, reaching the milestone of 100 million sold in the shortest period among convenience store products. According to the company, this quantity would cover an area equivalent to about 420 soccer fields, and if stacked vertically, it would exceed 560 times the height of Mount Everest.

A CU official is introducing Yonsei Milk Cream Bread. Photo by BGF Retail

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So far, a total of 39 varieties of Yonsei Milk Cream Bread have been released, with the launch of a new product approximately every two months. Thanks to the popularity of this item, CU’s year-on-year dessert sales growth rates over the past three years were 25.1% in 2024, 62.3% in 2025, and 62.5% in the first quarter of 2026.

Joonhyung Cho, Head of Snack Foods at BGF Retail, stated, "It is highly unusual and significant for a product to maintain such enduring popularity and achieve 100 million units sold, especially as the life cycle of hit products continues to shorten. CU will continue to enhance customer satisfaction by planning differentiated products and driving quality innovation that reflects the latest trends."

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