A Tour of Korean History Through Bread: From 1895’s First Bakery to Today’s 'Bread Pilgrimages'
Creatrip Team
7 months ago
The National Museum of Korean Contemporary History published 'Korea's Confectionery and Baking,' tracing the country’s modern history through bakeries. Korea’s first bakery opened in 1895 near present-day Myeong-dong Station, a year of major reform and the assassination of the queen (Eulmi Incident). The book maps bakery distribution from one shop in 1895 to 27,516 in 2025, with Seoul’s Gangnam and Mapo districts most dense. The author outlines four phases: the colonial-era introduction of Japanese-style Western bread and local bakers’ rise; the 1960s mass-bread industry aided by government food-promotion policies; the 1980s influx of American-style breads and fast food; and 21st-century growth of franchise bakeries and global expansion. Early 20th-century bakeries were often run by Japanese, while Koreans sold bread on the streets; after liberation, names like Sangmidang (precursor to Paris Baguette) and Yeongildang emerged. Franchises like Paris Baguette and Tous Les Jours expanded from the late 1980s–1990s, but since 2010 distinctive local bakeries have revived a 'bread pilgrimage' culture ("ppangji sunlye" — visiting famous bakeries), reflecting ongoing tension and creativity between corporate chains and neighborhood shops.
