Vendors, shops at odds over 'cupbap'

Street vendor Han Kyung-hee, makes “cupbap,” a bowl of mixed rice, at her cart in Noryangjin, Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Kang Hyun-kyung

By Kang Hyun-kyung

A plastic bowl of boiled rice mixed with other ingredients, called “cupbap” in Korean, is pitting street vendors against shop owners in Noryangjin, southwestern Seoul.

The area has a cluster of “hagwon” or private teaching institutes for those preparing for state tests to become civil servants. They often eat cupbap, which sells for 2,500 won ($2.2), as it is cheap and readily available.

However, the food item is anything but popular with the owners of small eateries in the area as it damages their income.

Officials from the Dongjak-gu Office forcibly expelled illegal vendors of the snack from the area several times earlier this year. However, the vendors keep returning and continue to do business there.

Han Kyung-hee, 46, a cupbap vender, said she usually sells 50 bowls of the dish each day.

“Cupbap is popular among students who live far away from home. These students have a tight budget and prefer meals at cheaper prices. One of my customers eats here two or three times a day,” Han said.

Of 14 vendors near Noryangjin Station, seven sell cupbap, a meal easily tailored to customers’ tastes. Each vendor has a wide selection from which customers can pick their favorite. Kimchi and eggs are common ingredients.

The dish got its name after students posted photos of cupbap (“bap” means boiled rice) on the Internet.

Since cupbap made its debut five or six years ago, word of the budget meal spread rapidly.

“I remember one gentleman who came from the southern city of Wanju years ago. He was here with his two young sons after hearing that cupbap was very popular here,” said a middle-aged woman who works at a cupbap stall. “They loved it.”

The woman, who asked not to be named, said not only domestic tourists but also foreign tourists from China and Japan visit there.

“Tourists usually come here during the weekends. After visiting some sightseeing areas in Noryangjin, they drop by here to try cupbap. Nearly 30 percent of customers during the weekends are tourists,” she said.