Why did this product blow up? Why did this shop become a hot spot? Beyond documenting legends, we collect behind-the-scenes food industry stories that nearly became legendary.
▲Haitai Confectionery's yeonyanggaeng. Photo: Haitai Confectionery
Do you know the country’s longest-running snack — one that even survived the Korean War? This is the story of Haitai Confectionery’s yeonyanggaeng, South Korea’s first commercial snack, launched after liberation in 1945.
Yeonyanggaeng’s history runs parallel to Haitai’s founding. The company’s founder, the late Park Byung-kyu, had worked for Nagaoka Confectionery, a Japanese company that operated in Seoul during the colonial era. Right after liberation, Park and his partners acquired the Namyeong-dong factory, which had supplied the Japanese military, and used it as the foundation for Haitai. That’s how Korea’s first snack came to be.
The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 threatened yeonyanggaeng’s survival. In May of that year, Dongbang Soft Drinks (now Lotte Chilsung Beverage) launched Korea’s first soda, Chilsung Cider, but the plant was destroyed and production stopped just a month later. Haitai employees, however, evacuated with kettles and boilers in tow and managed to keep yeonyanggaeng production going.
Yeonyanggaeng is dense with sweet red-bean paste, so it’s filling and packs a relatively high calorie count — about 140–150 kcal per 50 g (roughly 1.8 oz). It’s smooth, portable, and satisfying. It may not be a breakout viral snack like some trendy chewy cookies, but its convenience and energy density keep it popular with hikers and cyclists.
A Haitai spokesperson said, “Yeonyanggaeng delivers calories similar to an energy bar while retaining a lot of moisture,” adding, “It’s a single snack that can satisfy nutritional needs.”
Yeonyanggaeng isn’t unique to Haitai — other companies like Orion and Lotte Wellfood also offer yokan — but they aren’t really competing head-on with Haitai’s flagship product. Yokan occupies a relatively small slice of the snack market, so the big confectionery firms don’t prioritize it. Lotte Wellfood, for example, is targeting a niche with a sugar-free yokan under its Zero brand; that product clocks in at about 95 kcal per 50 g, roughly two-thirds of Haitai’s yeonyanggaeng.
One big reason yeonyanggaeng endures amid the flashy snack battles in convenience stores is practicality: it stores well at room temperature and uses display space efficiently. For convenience-store operators, it’s a low-risk, efficient product to stock.
The retro trend has also brought yokan back into some dessert cafes. Young, hip consumers with “grandma” tastes make up the main target audience. Two years ago, singer BIBI’s song “Bam Yanggaeng” gave the treat an extra boost, and YouTube is now full of homemade yokan tutorials.
Demand has even grown overseas as yeonyanggaeng finds fans as a Korean dessert. However, Haitai has not officially launched yeonyanggaeng in foreign markets; items sold in some overseas Korean supermarkets have been brought in through unofficial channels.
Hee-sun Jung, Reporter hsjung@ekn.kr
