Soaring dining costs, wellness culture are reshaping lunch in Korea

An office worker in Seoul surnamed Lee, 43, started packing her own lunches a month ago, as eating out for lunch had become an unsustainable financial burden. A basic lunch paired with an afternoon coffee routinely cost more than 20,000 won ($15), quietly eating into her monthly budget.

“Tracking down quality, low-cost eateries every single day is not easy,” Lee said. “A standard bowl of pork and rice soup that once cost about 8,000 won now costs nearly 15,000 won. On top of the rising cost, I was also getting tired of the heavy, salty food at restaurants.”

Many white-collar workers in Seoul are turning away from restaurants in favor of homemade and ready-made meals. The shift is being driven by two factors: rising restaurant prices and a growing focus on health and wellness.

Growing demand for lunch boxes is reflected in online product searches.

According to 29CM, a fashion platform operated by Musinsa, searches for "insulated cooler bags" surged 656 percent year-over-year in August.

During the same period, searches for “lunchbox cutlery sets” and “thermal lunchboxes” increased 75 percent and 69 percent from the previous month, respectively.

Some time-pressed workers are turning to ready-to-heat alternatives. Market Kurly, a leading online grocer, saw sales in its prepared lunchbox category climb about 30 percent year-over-year in August. Microwave-ready meals priced under 7,000 won were among the most popular products.

The main driver behind the trend is the sharp rise in restaurant prices.

Data from the Korea Consumer Agency showed that the average price of a bowl of cold noodles, known as "naengmyeon," in Seoul reached 12,692 won in July. High-end restaurants are charging even more, with Wooraeok raising the price of its signature Pyongyang-style noodles to 18,000 won from 16,000 won earlier this year.

Pork belly, a popular staple among Korean diners, was not exempt from the upward trend in prices. A 200-gram serving averaged 21,321 won in Seoul in July.

According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the price of dining out rose 2.7 percent year-on-year in August, while personal service prices increased 3.5 percent. Overall consumer prices rose 3.1 percent.

“Lunch is a nonnegotiable daily expense,” said Kim, who runs a startup in Seoul. “If you spend just 2,000 won more on each meal, that adds up to 40,000 won a month based on 20 workdays. Small price increases can add up to a significant amount over the course of a year.”

Beyond the need to save money, personal wellness is also reinforcing the meal-prep trend.

In a recent poll of 1,000 adults by market research firm Embrain Trendmonitor, 43.8 percent of respondents said managing their diet was the most important part of maintaining their health, ahead of regular exercise at 40.8 percent.