Shuka World Halts 990-Won Bakery After Sparking Bread Price Debate, Announces "Reorganization"

Attempt to Solve 'Breadflation' Backfires
Revealing the Divide Between Consumers and Producers

The well-known economic YouTube channel "Shuka World," which has 3.6 million subscribers, announced that it will suspend operations of its pop-up store just one week after becoming embroiled in controversy over selling salt bread for 990 won.

Shuka World analyzed the labor and raw material cost structure behind the rising bread prices in the comic channel series "This Kind of Bread" and opened a pop-up bakery by revealing his participation in the bread-making process. YouTube channel "Shuka World Comics"

On September 6, Shuka World posted a notice stating, "Our pop-up store will temporarily close for a period of reorganization after business ends on Sunday, September 7." The channel added, "We sincerely thank everyone who showed great interest and support since the pop-up opened on August 30. Every single person who visited us from afar in the hot weather gave us tremendous strength." The statement continued, "We deeply apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment caused by shortcomings in our operations. We will take your criticisms and advice to heart and strive to return in a more mature way."

The "ETF Bakery," which opened on August 30 in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, was launched after the channel operator Shuka said, "If we try making bread at a lower price just once, maybe we can shake up the market a little."

Interior view of the 'ETF Bakery' pop-up store on the 1st. Popular products including baguettes quickly sold out. Photo by Heo Midam damdam@

The 990-won bread, priced at about one-third of the average salt bread on the market, sparked enthusiastic reactions from consumers but also drew fierce criticism from small business owners. Many argued that it created the misconception that other bakeries were making excessive profits. In response, Shuka apologized on the August 31 broadcast, saying, "I thought people would be happy if I made cheap bread, but that wasn't the case. I'm sorry." However, the debate over the appropriate price of bread only intensified.

YouTuber Shuka started the 'Ireonsikbbang' project, aiming to make affordable bread. Screenshot from YouTube Moneycomics

Small business owners pointed out the real challenges of running a bakery and argued that ultra-low-priced bread is nothing more than a temporary experiment. They cited several reasons: the high cost of imported ingredients such as butter, relatively low bread consumption, and high fixed costs including rent and interior expenses. For these reasons, they agreed that ultra-low-priced sales through mass production, as done by Shuka World, would be difficult to sustain in ordinary bakeries.

The domestic bakery industry is already considered a "red ocean," with more than 19,000 shops competing. To survive, it is essential to develop unique menus and compete on quality by using premium ingredients. Since most key ingredients such as butter and flour are imported, the cost structure is inevitably high.

According to data from the Fair Trade Commission, as of 2022, the average operating profit margin for bakery specialty stores was 6.3%, which is lower than that of chicken restaurants (9.5%) or coffee shops (7.2%). Industry insiders emphasized that there is a significant difference between experiments that a well-known YouTuber with brand recognition and capital can attempt in the short term and the reality faced by individual bakeries whose livelihood depends on their business.