[INTERVIEW] Authentic Korean convenience meals attract foreigners

Min Jung-hwan of GS Retail says Korean convenience store dosirak are drawing foreigners because they want authentic Korean-style meals. GS25 is expanding offerings with banchan such as bulgogi, dakgangjeong and japchae, while keeping prices generally under 7,000 won. The company says demand is being driven by lunchflation, better quality and more varied recipes. GS25 also says it launches new dosirak through consumer surveys, testing and a roughly 12-week production process.

GS Retail runs nine manufacturing plants nationwide that distribute dosirak to 18,000 GS25 stores across Korea.

Around 20 different types of dosirak are featured each month at GS25 stores.

GS25 says launching a new dosirak usually takes about 12 weeks, though some viral items are produced faster to catch trends.

Its most popular dosirak costs 6,900 won, and earlier best-selling meals were usually priced below 6,000 won.

GS25 has collaborated with Choi Kang-rok from Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars and runs a Dosirak of the Month program.

Published Sep 21, 2026 7:00 am KST

GS25 sees growing demand for traditional Korean dishes as ready-to-eat meals evolve

Min Jung-hwan, a merchandiser with GS Retail’s Fresh Food Team, poses next to the company’s logo at their headquarters in Gangnam District, Seoul, Sept. 7. Courtesy of GS Retail

The global popularity of Korean food has reached a point where convenience store meal boxes, known as “dosirak,” have become part of a new market trend where signature Korean flavors and traditional recipes have become a hit with international visitors and popular in new markets.

Min Jung-hwan, who plans and oversees dosirak production for GS25 at GS Retail’s Merchandise Headquarters, is seeing the shift firsthand. Rather than creating separate products for foreign customers, the retailer is increasingly offering the same dosirak that appeal to Korean consumers, reflecting growing interest in authentic Korean flavors.

“We don’t make dosirak that are specially for foreigners because many of them like what Koreans enjoy. Even at GS25 stores in Vietnam and Mongolia, visitors are interested in authentic Korean-style dosirak. We try to meet such expectations so that they can feel they are inside a Korean convenience store,” Min said in an interview with The Korea Times.

“To serve the rising number of foreigners coming to Korea, we are boosting a pipeline for those with banchan (side dishes) they usually like, including bulgogi (marinated meat), dakgangjeong (fried chicken in sauce) or japchae (stir-fried glass noodles with vegetables).”

Dosirak have continuously evolved alongside Korea’s convenience store industry, driven by their enduring popularity. The changes go beyond the quality of the food, encompassing a wider variety of banchan, more diverse packaging and a growing focus on the tastes and needs of a diverse group of consumers.

Min Jung-hwan poses with a dosirak inside a GS25 store in Seoul, Sept. 7. Inside the store are ready-to-eat fresh food items, including dosirak, gimbap, hamburgers and sandwiches. Courtesy of GS Retail

The trend is propelled in part by increased prices across retail and dine-in markets, driving the consumers to seek more affordable foods. For those who have to eat meals while on the run, convenience stores have become an ideal spot to grab a bite, with dosirak and other fresh food items rarely exceeding 7,000 won ($5.21).

Min said the trend shows that convenience store foods have evolved beyond their image as cheap, simple meals.

“It is true that 'lunchflation' has heightened people’s sensitivity to how much they have to pay, so it has expanded the markets for affordable convenience store dosirak,” Min said.

“What’s different now from the past is the level of quality. In the past, dosirak had to be cheap and were merely an alternative to ordinary meals. Now, they have become a popular category. They use seasonal ingredients to introduce eye-catching items like spring cabbage bibimbap. They have gotten more expensive, too, but they are still popular among those who are willing to pay for taste satisfaction. Our most popular dosirak is 6,900 won. In the past, those priced below 6,000 won sold the best.”

Marketing efforts have also raised consumers’ expectations. The company has collaborated with Choi Kang-rok, the winner of the second season of Netflix’s “Culinary Class Wars,” on new dosirak. GS25 has also launched a “Dosirak of the Month” program, fueling consumer curiosity and driving sales. "Hyeja Dosirak," featuring actress Kim Hye-ja, has been one of GS25’s signature dosirak since 2010.

“We launched a renewal of GS25 dosirak earlier this month. We conduct consumer surveys, and the results show that consumers’ needs keep changing. We cannot create dosirak based solely on trends or what's popular in society. We need hard data that reflects consumers’ opinions,” Min said.

GS25's dosirak featuring Kim Hye-ja includes five main dishes, five sides and two appetizers. GS25's No.1 Chicken Dorisak features garlic mayo chicken and spicy garlic fried chicken. Courtesy of GS Retail

Launching a new dosirak starts with analyzing current market trends and planning how to target consumers, followed by deciding on the banchan and style. Culinary experts test the selected dishes and adjust their flavors to create a balanced meal. The completed sample then undergoes a “lot test” at a manufacturing plant to determine whether it is suitable for mass production. Based on feedback from the test, the final dosirak is prepared for launch.

Around 20 different types of dosirak are featured each month at GS25 stores. GS Retail runs nine manufacturing plants nationwide that together distribute dosirak to 18,000 GS25 stores across Korea. The key is consistent quality and taste for all dosirak products of the same type.

Launching a new dosirak usually takes about 12 weeks. Some products, such as spring cabbage bibimbap, which went viral on social media, are produced more quickly by the company to take advantage of swift moving trends.

Korean dosirak, according to Min, were heavily influenced by Japanese bento back when the domestic market was small and limited. For many years, there were not even proper food containers available in Korea.

“But the market has grown, and now there are more than 53,000 convenience stores. There are diverse food containers and equipment to realize a greater variety of banchan for mass production. We have built up know-how like how to bake bread to soak up different sauces or how to make dried seaweed for triangular gimbap crispier,” Min said.

“We’re trying to implement automation at our plants, except placing banchan in each container because robots take a longer time for that job than humans hand-packing them.”

GS Retail 的闵正焕 (Min Jung-hwan) 表示，韩国便利店便当之所以吸引外国人，是因为他们想要品尝正宗的韩式餐点。GS25 正在拓展产品线，增加烤肉、辣炒面和杂菜等小菜，同时将价格普遍控制在 7000 韩元以下。该公司表示，午餐价格上涨、品质提升和菜式多样化是推动需求增长的主要因素。GS25 还表示，他们会通过消费者调查、测试以及大约 12 周的生产流程来推出新的便当产品。

GS Retail 在全国运营九家制造工厂，向韩国各地 18,000 家 GS25 门店分销便当。

GS25 商店每月推出约 20 种不同类型的 dosirak。

GS25 表示，推出一款新的 dosirak 通常需要大约 12 周时间，不过为了赶上潮流，一些爆款产品会生产得更快。

其最受欢迎的便当售价为 6,900 韩元，而之前最畅销的餐点通常售价低于 6,000 韩元。

GS25 与 Netflix 美食节目《厨艺大战》的主持人崔康禄合作，推出了“每月便当”活动。

发布于2026年9月21日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

GS25认为，随着即食食品的发展，人们对传统韩国料理的需求日益增长。

9月7日，GS Retail生鲜食品团队的商品陈列员闵正焕（音译）在位于首尔江南区的公司总部，站在公司标志旁拍照。图片由GS Retail提供。

韩国料理在全球范围内的受欢迎程度已经达到了便利店餐盒（称为“dosirak”）成为一种新的市场趋势的程度，其独特的韩国风味和传统食谱受到了国际游客的欢迎，并在新市场中广受欢迎。

负责GS25品牌便当生产规划和监管的GS零售总部员工闵正焕（音译）亲眼见证了这一转变。这家零售商不再为海外客户单独生产产品，而是越来越多地提供深受韩国消费者喜爱的同款便当，这反映出消费者对正宗韩国风味的日益增长的兴趣。

“我们不会专门为外国人制作便当，因为很多外国人喜欢韩国人爱吃的。即使在越南和蒙古的GS25便利店，顾客也对正宗的韩式便当很感兴趣。我们努力满足他们的这种需求，让他们感觉仿佛置身于一家韩国便利店，”闵先生在接受《韩国时报》采访时说道。

“为了满足越来越多来韩国的外国人的需求，我们正在加强对他们通常喜欢的韩式小菜（banchan）的供应，包括烤肉（bulgogi）、炸鸡（dakgangjeong）或杂菜（japchae）。”

在韩国便利店行业蓬勃发展的背景下，便当凭借其经久不衰的人气不断演变。这种变化不仅体现在食品质量上，还包括更丰富的韩式小菜种类、更多样化的包装，以及对不同消费群体口味和需求的日益关注。

9月7日，闵正焕在首尔一家GS25超市内手持便当拍照。店内出售各种即食新鲜食品，包括便当、紫菜包饭、汉堡和三明治。图片由GS Retail提供

这一趋势的部分原因是零售和餐饮市场价格上涨，促使消费者寻求更实惠的食品。对于那些需要在匆忙中用餐的人来说，便利店已成为理想的快餐选择，便当和其他新鲜食品的价格很少超过7000韩元（约合5.21美元）。

Min表示，这一趋势表明便利店食品已经超越了廉价、简单的餐食形象。

“午餐通胀确实提高了人们对消费金额的敏感度，因此扩大了价格实惠的便利店便当市场，”闵先生说。

“现在和过去最大的不同在于品质。以前，便当必须价格低廉，只是普通餐食的替代品。现在，它已经成为一种很受欢迎的食品类别。商家会使用时令食材，推出像春卷拌饭这样赏心悦目的菜品。价格也上涨了，但对于那些愿意为美味买单的人来说，它仍然很受欢迎。我们最畅销的便当售价6900韩元。以前，售价低于6000韩元的便当卖得最好。”

营销活动也提高了消费者的期望值。该公司与Netflix美食真人秀《厨艺大战》第二季冠军崔康禄合作推出了新款便当。GS25还推出了“每月便当”活动，激发消费者的好奇心并促进销售。“惠子便当”自2010年以来一直是GS25的招牌便当之一，由演员金惠子代言。

“我们本月初推出了GS25便当的更新版。我们进行了消费者调查，结果显示消费者的需求不断变化。我们不能仅仅根据潮流或社会流行趋势来制定便当。我们需要反映消费者意见的可靠数据，”闵先生说。

GS25推出的金惠子主题便当包含五道主菜、五道配菜和两道开胃菜。GS25的招牌鸡肉便当包含蒜蓉蛋黄酱鸡肉和香辣蒜蓉炸鸡。图片由GS Retail提供

推出一款新的便当，首先要分析当前的市场趋势，制定目标消费者策略，然后确定配菜和风格。烹饪专家会对选定的菜肴进行测试，并调整口味，以打造营养均衡的套餐。完成后的样品会在生产工厂进行“批次测试”，以确定其是否适合批量生产。根据测试反馈，最终的便当版本即可上市。

GS25门店每月推出约20种不同的便当。GS Retail在全国设有九家生产工厂，共同向韩国各地18,000家GS25门店供应便当。其关键在于确保同类型便当产品品质和口味始终如一。

推出一款新的便当通常需要大约 12 周时间。而像春卷拌饭这样在社交媒体上爆红的产品，公司会加快生产速度，以抓住瞬息万变的潮流。

据闵先生介绍，韩国便当在国内市场规模小、选择有限的时候，深受日本便当的影响。多年来，韩国甚至连像样的食品容器都没有。

“但市场已经发展壮大，现在便利店的数量超过53000家。各种食品容器和设备也应运而生，可以实现更多种类韩式小菜的批量生产。我们积累了丰富的经验，比如如何烘焙面包来吸收不同的酱汁，或者如何让三角紫菜包饭的紫菜干更酥脆，”闵先生说道。

“我们正在努力在工厂实现自动化，但将小菜放入每个容器中这一步除外，因为机器人做这项工作比人工包装要花费更多时间。”