Buchang Bakery's walnut cakes win over G-Dragon fans

G-Dragon performs during the Ubermensch encore concert at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul's Guro District, Dec. 14, 2025. Courtesy of Galaxy Corporation

Walnut cake brand Buchang Bakery, which drew the attention of international guests during last year's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, is now satisfying the appetites of global fans of G-Dragon.

Fresh Gourmet, the Seoul-based operator of the brand, has collaborated with the K-pop star’s charity foundation JUSPEACE to provide the brand’s new walnut cakes. The partnership attracted fans who crowded the artist’s events at KSPO Dome at Olympic Park in Seoul’s Songpa District from Friday to Sunday.

Fresh Gourmet President Lee Kyung-won said Sunday he donated 12,000 individually packaged cakes to the foundation. The special cakes, made with a chestnut filling, were made by the company specifically for the fan meetings and offered as giveaways for the fans.

“We’ve donated the cakes as a preview before their official market launch here. Since we’ve collaborated with JUSPEACE, we decided to allow G-Dragon’s fans to taste our new creation first,” Lee said.

Fans crowd Buchang Bakery's booths offering free walnut cakes in front of KSPO Dome at Olympic Park in Seoul’s Songpa District, Friday. Courtesy of Fresh Gourmet

“We’re currently discussing with JUSPEACE how to launch and promote the new walnut cakes. Considering G-Dragon founded JUSPEACE by donating his intellectual properties, we expect to promote the new product by linking it to public campaigns instead of maximizing profits. We might donate part of the cakes’ sales to the foundation.”

Buchang Bakery’s collaboration with G-Dragon went viral on social media even before the events. Instagram commenters said they recognized the brand from the APEC meetings, expressing surprise at the collaboration with G-Dragon. Some said the walnut cakes are now another draw to the fan meetings.

Buchang Bakery promoted its walnut cakes at its booths at the APEC Economic Leaders’ Summit and senior officials’ meetings earlier in the year. The desserts were selected as the event’s official dessert and drew strong interest from international guests.

“We think our collaboration with JUSPEACE will generate an even larger global impact than APEC,” Lee said.