TikTok turns viral ‘gochujang butter pasta’ into breakfast pop-up event

From left, TikTok creators Gyutaecci, Minji, Jeon Unni and Cookim pose during the Gochujang Butter Pasta Breakfast Gathering event the Konkuk branch of GS25 convenience store in Seoul, Thrsday. Courtesy of TikTok Korea

TikTok Korea held a breakfast gathering at a GS25 convenience store in Seoul Thursday, bringing together creators and users to celebrate “gochujang butter pasta,” a dish that gained traction on the platform before being commercialized as a ready-to-eat product.

The event, held at GS25’s Konkuk branch, included about 10 users selected through a promotional draw, along with TikTok creators Gyutaecci, Jeon Unni, Cookim and Minji.

Attendees sampled GS25's gochujang butter pasta and assembled their own variations using convenience store ingredients.

The gathering was designed around the "mingle morning" format, a social trend popular among Generation Z involving early-morning meetups centered on food and conversation.

Additional programming included games and a best-dressed competition, with participants asked to wear red clothing in a nod to the dish's primary ingredient.

The gochujang butter pasta product at the center of the event was launched by GS25 on March 25, following the spread of gochujang-based pasta recipes on TikTok.

GS25 said the product development drew directly on TikTok content data and user engagement metrics.

TikTok Korea said the event was intended to extend platform-driven food trends into offline consumer experience and participatory content creation.

"Gochujang butter pasta is one of the most representative Korean food trends to emerge through creator and user participation on TikTok," a TikTok Korea official said.

"This breakfast gathering was meaningful in that it allowed people to experience that trend directly offline and carry it forward into new content. TikTok will continue to explore ways for platform-born trends to translate into real experiences and broader cultural reach."

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.