Products That Have Become A Hot Topic After Being Featured On TV In Korea

Just as clothes and accessories worn by famous celebrities receive tons of attention, there are products that appear on TV and become a hot topic very fast.

Some products are sold out within a few days because they get so popular.

Let's find out which products have caught the eyes of viewers in Korea!

I Live Alone
Hwasa The Mukbang Queen

The food that Mamamoo's Hwasa consumed deliciously on I Live Alone quickly became a hot topic online.

Hwasa was even labeled as the 'mukbang queen' after this episode was broadcast.

On June 8, 2018, when the episode of I Live Alone aired, Hwasa made thousands of viewers unconsciously drool as they watched her grill beef tripe alone in broad daylight.

Usually, this menu is not consumed during the day, but at night with some drinks.

But thanks to Hwasa, she has made this culture of grilling alone in the middle of the day mainstream and totally okay!

Source: SBS 본격연예 한밤

On the show, the restaurant Hwasa visited was overwhelmed with customers after its TV appearance. 

They were out of ingredients at 10 p.m and had to close early, and sometimes had to stay closed on Sundays because of how busy they were getting.

Not only the restaurant, but the nation couldn't keep up with its demand for beef tripe.

Hwasa later received a plaque and a gift certificate from the official Korea Animal By-products Industry Association in recognition of her tremendous effect on the beef tripe sales nationwide.

Not only that but various menus such as dried seaweed and chicken soup, which Hwasa was also seen eating, were constantly out of stock.

I Live Alone
Greek Yogurt Peach

Several items that appeared on the show I Live Alone on August 13 received a lot of attention.

And among them all, the most popular one was the greek yogurt peach.

This dessert quickly became a hot topic on social media as Park Na-rae and Hwasa were eating frozen peaches with Greek yogurt, honey, and granola.

Thanks to the recipe that can easily be followed, many people tried this recipe and posted it on social media, further adding to the hype.

Since the episode aired, more than 20,000 posts have been made with the Greek yogurt peach hashtag, proving its popularity.

Sixth Sense
Persimmon Rice Cake

The menu was introduced on July 30th in an episode of Sixth Sense 2 and drew a lot of attention among its viewers online.

Dried persimmons and walnuts fill up the inside of the rice cake and Yoo Jae-suk praised it highly after having a bite.

Many viewers were curious about its taste and all products were sold out the next day after it aired, on July 31.

Since then, the item was sold out many times.

As Chuseok approached, the rice cake delivery service closed early.

You Quiz On The Block
Prize Item

It has become a trend among the younger generation to exchange "useless gifts".

"Useless gifts" refer to gifts that seem useless but the creativity of the gifts gives the recipient a laugh.

There are many types of useless gifts among the prizes offered to guests on the show.

There are cushions with a large printed face of the host, and a chicken leg cushion that looks realistic.

Seeing the look on the people's faces when they receive the prizes gives everyone a laugh.

And a lot of people add these products to their shopping carts to gift to their friends.

In particular, model Choi So-ra appeared on the show on December 2nd of last year and she was gifted a fish bag and a set of slippers as her prize.

She wore the products with a lot of confidence which received a lot of attention.

Products shown in the show can easily be found and purchased online when you search the keyword "You Quiz" on online stores.

My Little Old Boy
Pet Stone

Pet stones were introduced in an episode of My Little Old Boy, which aired on March 21.

Actor Im Won-hee introduced the stones that he was taking care of.

Pet stones have already gained popularity overseas, and when it was introduced in Korea in 2018, it was so popular that 40,000 people bought it.

When it was introduced on a show again, it received another wave of attention, although not as much as it did in 2018.

Online malls have started selling the products with the keywords "My Little Old Boy pet stones" and "Im Won-hee stones".

Also, there have been many people who pick up stones from the ground and draw faces on them.

They use them as their pet stones and there are various pet stone vlogs you can find online.

If you tell them to sit still, they will stay like that for a very long time which makes them super easy to raise!

They'll help you relax and clear your mind just by watching them.

Korean Hostel In Spain
Odense Legot Bowl

Viewer's eyes are like hawks.

If they find a certain product interesting in a TV show that only appears for a split second, they will find out the name of the product and share information online.

The tableware set used in the show, Korean Hostel in Spain, received great attention.

The products used by actor Cha Seung-won to serve Korean food are the Legot collection from the design studio called Odense.

Its classy and elegant design captured the attention of viewers in the ages of 20-40s who are into interior design. 

After its broadcast, it became the most-searched item on Naver and sales rose 78%.

Sky Castle
Library Desk

The popular Sky Castle which aired from November 2018 to February 2019, introduced a product that broke news.

It's the library desk for 1 used by the character Ye-seo which was also named the 'Ye-seo desk'.

It's designed so that students can focus on their studies in a cozy space better with no distractions.

Source: 스터디큐브

Since the introduction of this desk in the drama, it immediately became one of the most searched items on Naver and sales rose 10 times despite being a high-priced desk worth more than 2 million won (approx. 1.7 USD).

Recently, more families have purchased this desk for their children studying at home due to COVID-19.

Delicious Rendezvous
Ugly Potato

Some businesses wisely take advantage of the crazy impact of featuring their products on a TV show.

Baek Jong-won, a famous chef and broadcaster, asked Shinsegae Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin for help to save potato farmers in Gangwon-do on December 12, 2019.

Chef Baek Jong-won called Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin and bought 30 tons of 'ugly potatoes' that were on the verge of being discarded due to their ugly shape.

The very next day, on the 13th, the potatoes were sold at E-Mart at a very shocking price.

900 grams of potatoes were sold for 780 won (approx. 0.66 USD) and many customers were in disbelief.

And many 30 tons of potatoes were sold out.

Since then, Baek Jong-won showed various recipes with chives, sweet potatoes, brown enoki mushrooms, bean sprouts, which contributed greatly to saving Korean farmers as the demand for these products rose.

Jungkook
Teazen Kombucha

This product wasn't featured on TV, but the impact of this was huge.

The products mentioned by the members of BTS are often sold out very quickly, to the extent that small businesses are revived.

When Jungkook mentioned in his vlog that he usually enjoys drinking Teazen Kombucha, the product sold out in an instant.

Due to the chaos, Teazen's kombucha was sold out in three days and sales of the brand rose 500%. 

Even Jungkook couldn't get his hands on the kombucha after his announcement. He could only buy two packs at the store.

In the past, Jungkook caused the Downy fabric softener to become sold out.

Especially in a situation where many businesses are struggling due to COVID-19, these incidences are a huge help to small businesses!

Today we looked into various products that were introduced on TV and immediately became a hot topic in Korea.

Which product are you most curious about?

Let us know down in the comments below!