Find Hidden Alleyway Eateries: Korea Tourism Organization Publishes Guidebook

Including Busan Huinyeoul Village Road and Seoul Seosunra-gil

From tasting traditional desserts at the entrance of the stone wall street in 'Seoul Seosunra-gil' to enjoying pot ramen and sea urchin gimbap with an ocean view in 'Busan Huinyeoul Village Road.' On the 25th, the Korea Tourism Organization announced the publication of a guidebook titled '7 Hidden Alley Food Trips in Korea,' introducing unique local foods and alleys.

Seosunra-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Facing the old wall of Jongmyo Shrine, it is a space where you can enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere and is a popular area among the MZ generation.

To select alleys for the guidebook, the organization conducted a survey over the past year targeting 1,058 Koreans aged 20 to 40 who traveled domestically to at least three places and planned their trips mainly around restaurants. The survey asked about alleys and alley restaurants worth introducing to foreign tourists.

Based on the survey results and considering accessibility for foreign tourists and regional characteristics, the following seven alleys were finally selected: ▲Seoul Seosunra-gil (fusion cuisine using healthy ingredients and traditional desserts) ▲Seoul Yongridan-gil (exotic foods enjoyed in a small foreign setting within Korea) ▲Songdo Cafe Street (fusion cuisine and unique cafes in an urban oasis) ▲Jeonju Gaekridan-gil (Korea’s first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy featuring bibimbap and soybean sprout soup) ▲Daegu Apsan Cafe Street (original makchang alley and local food) ▲Busan Huinyeoul Cultural Village Road (pot ramen and sea urchin gimbap with an ocean view) ▲Jeju Aewol Handam Coastal Walkway (abundant Jeju specialties).

The guidebook introduces seven hidden alleys with distinctive foods, suitable not only for foreign tourists but also for domestic visitors. It also includes walking tour courses around each alley where visitors can experience the history and culture in about three hours.

The Korea Tourism Organization published a guidebook titled "7 Hidden Alley Restaurants in Korea" on the 25th, introducing unique local foods and alleys.
[Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

The guidebook is available on the Korea Tourism Organization’s Korea Travel Online website. It is also provided as an e-book in four languages (English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese). The e-book will be released on the organization’s foreign language tourism information website from mid-June.

The organization plans to use the guidebook to promote major overseas roadshows and to accelerate attracting inbound tourists through K-food by discovering and commercializing 'mukbang tours' featuring overseas influencers.

Lee Jae-hwan, Vice President of the Korea Tourism Organization, stated, "The globally expanding K-food is greatly influencing foreign tourists’ decisions to visit Korea. We will continue to discover diverse food content that appeals across generations and utilize it as a central driving force to expand the attraction of foreign tourists."