Now In Korea
Inside a ‘Hot Place’ in Seoul: The Chosun Hotel Premium Kimchi Factory in Seongsu-dong
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
A report from Seongsu-dong, Seoul — a trendy neighborhood known for pop-ups and visitors from Japan and China — spotlights a premium kimchi factory run by Chosun Hotel & Resort. Launched as a premium line in 2011 after popular demand for the hotel’s kimchi, the HACCP-certified facility produces small batches to preserve freshness and ‘handmade flavor.’ Workers in a sanitary prep area hand-season each cabbage leaf and other vegetables in the ‘sok-neutgi-sil’ (stuffing room), with some kimchi cut and packed differently for hotel restaurants versus retail. The factory uses selected domestic ingredients — high-grade sun-dried red pepper powder from Yeongyang (Gyeongbuk), sun salt from Sinan (Jeonnam), and local fermented seafood — and follows a workflow from ingredient storage to washing, dehydration, chilling, stuffing, metal-detection, sealing and outer packaging. Operating under 10°C to keep ingredients fresh, the plant produces about 2,500 kg of premium kimchi per day across roughly 20 varieties, including baechu kimchi, aged kimchi, gat-kimchi (mustard leaf kimchi), and kid-friendly “Chosun Junior” kimchi. The brand sells via retail partners and the hotel’s deli, and recently added a subscription service. Following steady double-digit growth, Chosun aims to expand its factory in early 2026 and reach KRW 100 billion in sales by 2030 while pursuing overseas markets.
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