CreatripTeam

President Lee gifted Gyeongju’s famed Hwangnam bread (a premium red-bean bun) to Chinese President Xi, sparking renewed interest in regional Korean breads made with local agricultural products. These “K-region breads”—from Chungju apple bread (made with domestic rice flour and stewed Chungju apples) to Sokcho’s Seoraksan maple-and-red-bean leaf-shaped bread (100% Korean rice, no wheat), Tongyeong honey buns and fermented soybean (cheonggukjang) variants, Yeosu’s gat-butter donuts (using local leafy mustard, dolsan-gat), and Danyang garlic breads—are drawing tourists who do “bread pilgrimages” and buy by delivery. They boost farm income, promote local specialties as branded desserts, and help regional tourism. The trend reframes simple baked goods as K-desserts that highlight Korean agricultural flavors and make attractive local gifts.