Korean summer treat bingsu reaches W150,000 at Seoul's luxury hotels

Bingsu featuring apple mango is served at the Shilla Seoul, May 22, 2024. Korea Times photo by Park Ung

What can a tourist do with 150,000 won ($107) during Korea’s sweltering summer?

That amount could get you the cheapest ticket to BLACKPINK’s concert this July, with just enough left over for Korean fried chicken to fuel up before the show. Or it might cover a round-trip flight to Jeju Island for a seaside escape from Seoul’s heat.

Or, for those craving something more indulgent, it could buy just one bowl of bingsu — a Korean shaved-ice dessert topped with fruit and red beans.

While the price of bingsu varies greatly, with the cheapest options available for around 2,000 won, one of the priciest bingsu offerings in Seoul this year can be found at luxury hotels for approximately 150,000 won.

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul is offering a version made with two Jeju-grown apple mangoes for 149,000 won through Sept. 30 — up 18.3 percent from last year.

“One of the main reasons for the price hike is the rising cost of Jeju-grown apple mangoes,” Claire Yoo, a marketing manager at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, told The Korea Times.

She explained that Jeju apple mangoes are prized for their superior sweetness, juiciness and aroma, but supply is often unstable due to weather and harvest conditions.

“About 85 percent of bingsu customers are nonguests, with hotel guests making up around 15 percent,” she added. “As a seasonal, limited-time item, demand remains strong, especially among nonguests who make reservations in advance.”

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul's apple mango bingsu / Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Seoul

Bingsu prices at other luxury hotels in Seoul, which first crossed the 100,000-won mark in 2023, have mostly risen again this year.

Lotte Hotel Seoul raised the price of its mango bingsu by 19.6 percent to 110,000 won, while the Shilla Seoul increased its version by 7.8 percent to the same amount. Signiel Seoul, which sold its mango bingsu for 130,000 won last year, kept its price unchanged.

According to a survey last year by food tech company Siksin, the average lunch purchased with its mobile meal vouchers between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. slightly exceeded 10,000 won.

When spending what amounts to the cost of more than 10 lunches on a single dessert, consumers said that it’s not just about taste — the look, setting and overall experience all have to deliver.

“The dessert was good, but the steep price raised my expectations and made me focus more on other factors like service, ambiance and even how long it took to arrive,” Lim Do-hee, 31, who tried mango bingsu at the Shilla Seoul last summer, told The Korea Times.

Lim said there was a live jazz band playing while she ate — though she wasn’t sure if that’s always the case — so considering the atmosphere, it wasn’t a bad option to share with two or three people.

“Still, if you focus only on the dessert, the price definitely feels steep,” she added.

Experts say the rise of such high-priced bingsu is closely linked to social media trends.

“The popularity of pricey bingsu is driven by social media-savvy Generation Z consumers, for whom simply trying the dessert each season feels meaningful,” Hwang Jin-joo, an adjunct professor of consumer science at Inha University, told The Korea Times.

“Many in this group are accustomed to sharing their experiences online, making bingsu a photo-worthy and shareable treat. And it is helping drive the high-end bingsu market.” she said. “Luxury hotels, responding to the demand, are making their bingsu more visually appealing — a factor that has contributed to rising prices.”