One-of-a-kind dishes put Daejeon on culinary map

Kumdori, left, and Kumsuni, his wife, are characters that represent the city of Daejeon. Courtesy of Daejeon Metropolitan City

According to a character description on the Daejeon Metropolitan City website, Kumdori, an alien with a star-tipped antenna that connects him to the universe, arrived in Korea for the Daejeon Expo in 1993.

Twenty-two years later, Kumdori has taken on a new identity — not in an expo hall, but in a bowl of noodles. Launched by the city as Korea’s first locally branded character noodle, Kumdori Ramyeon sales surpassed 500,000 packs just a month after the product hit shelves.

While many regional specialties can now be found in Seoul through department store pop-ups and franchise outlets, Daejeon is attracting visitors with offerings available only locally — giving travelers a reason to experience the city firsthand.

The product gained popularity in part due to its novel concept: character-themed instant noodles that have struck a chord with fans of design and nostalgia alike. Han Bom, a 27-year-old character designer, sampled Kumdori Ramyeon last week and praised it.

Kumdori Ramyeon / Courtesy of Daejeon Metropolitan City

“A coworker brought some back from a trip to Daejeon — both the jjamppong (spicy vegetables and seafood) and beef flavor,” Han told The Korea Times. “Even the fish cakes were shaped like Kumdori, which was really cute.”

As a character designer, Han said she welcomes the fusion of nostalgic characters with food products. “I like characters being commercialized with a retro feel. If I visit Daejeon, I'd definitely buy some as gifts.”

Another factor in its success is its limited availability — the noodles are sold exclusively in Daejeon as part of a regionally-focused marketing strategy. This approach is unusual in Korea, where many of the country’s most renowned local restaurants and bakeries have established branches in Seoul, the nation’s largest consumer market.

For example, Leesungdang — Korea’s oldest bakery, founded in 1945 in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province — now operates a branch at Lotte Department Store in Jamsil, southeastern Seoul. Samsong Bakery, a Daegu favorite since 1957, has expanded to 12 locations across the capital.

In contrast, Daejeon stands out by offering local specialties found only within the city — most notably the bakery Sung Sim Dang. Widely regarded as the city’s most recognizable brand, it remains exclusive to Daejeon and has become a key driver of the local economy.

Fried soboro, a kind of streusel-topped bread and the signature item of Sung Sim Dang, is seen in this July 15, 2015 file photo.
Korea Times photo by Choi Heung-soo

According to an analysis of credit card transactions by Hana Card, more than 110,000 visitors from outside Daejeon made purchases at Sung Sim Dang last year, a 61.6 percent increase from the year before.

Despite operating just 16 locations in Daejeon, for two years in a row the regional bakery chain posted higher operating profits than CJ Foodville, which runs the nationwide brand Tous Les Jours with more than 1,300 outlets.

According to data from the Financial Supervisory Service, Sung Sim Dang achieved more than 193.7 billion won ($141.7 million) in revenues and 47.8 billion won in operating profit last year. By comparison, CJ Foodville posted 29.86 billion won in operating profit during the same period.

The brand has become inseparable from the city’s identity, said Wang Sung-jun, a 29-year-old researcher at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute who has worked in Daejeon for nearly two years.

Visitors crowd Sung Sim Dang as they wait to purchase baked goods in Daejeon, Nov. 29, 2024. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

“When I came to Daejeon for a job interview, I brought home their signature fried soboro bread,” Wang said. “It’s not just about the hype — the prices are reasonable. I’m not really into bread myself, but I’ve seen people who spend up to 200,000 won on a single visit.”

Choi Chul, a professor of consumer economics at Sookmyung Women’s University, noted that Daejeon’s location likely played a key role in fueling the craze.

Located about 150 kilometers from Seoul, the city is roughly an hour away by KTX and serves as a major transportation hub, with highways and rail lines connecting to both the Gyeongsang and Jeolla regions.

“Whether it’s for travel or business, people naturally want to experience something the area is known for,” Choi said. “At a time when revitalizing local economies is more important than ever, efforts to develop such regional specialties are positive in many ways.”