The ‘Pork Rice Soup Michelin Guide’ created by Busan City··· ‘Subyeon Choego’ ‘Yeongjin’ ‘Hapcheon’ made the Top 3 - 경향신문

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Crowds pack the Busan City Dwaeji-gukbap Showdown pop-up at International Finance Center 2 in Nam-gu, Busan, on the afternoon of the 16th. Reporter Kim Jun-yong

At International Finance Center 2 in Nam-gu, Busan, a savory aroma filled the air on the 16th. Starting at 4 p.m., well-known Busan dwaeji-gukbap restaurants opened pop-up stores, and long lines formed in front of all four pop-ups.

Lee Gwang-guk, in his 50s, who said he had often eaten dwaeji-gukbap since his school days, said, “I mainly go to gukbap places in Dongnae-gu and Geumjeong-gu, but I came deliberately because I heard I could try famed spots from other areas.” An office worker surnamed Ryu in his 40s said, “My hometown is Saha-gu, so I supported Yeongjin Dwaeji Gukbap,” adding, “The meat is tender and the price is affordable, so it is a place I really like.”

Busan City announced the results of the ‘Busan Dwaeji-gukbap Showdown’ that day. The event has been running since August. Voting was held on 20 gukbap restaurants recommended by Busan citizens and others. Based on the number of votes, the city named Top 3, Top 10, and Top 20 eateries. A total of 38,194 people participated.

The Top 3, the highest tier, were ‘Subyeon Choego Dwaeji Gukbap’ Millak main branch, ‘Yeongjin Dwaeji Gukbap’ main branch, and ‘Hapcheon Gukbapjip’ (listed in Korean alphabetical order). The Top 10 included ‘1953 Hyeongje Dwaeji Gukbap’ main branch, ‘70-Year Tradition Halmae Gukbap’, ‘Suyeong Dwaeji Gukbap’, ‘Sinchang Gukbap’ main branch, ‘Ssangdungi Dwaeji Gukbap’ main branch, ‘Jamae Gukbap’, and ‘Hwanamjeong Dwaeji Gukbap‘ Choeup main branch.

The Top 20 also featured ‘Dubeonjjae Neul Haerang’, ‘Mokchon Dwaeji Gukbap’ Yeonsan City Hall branch, ‘Seojinseop Dwaeji Gukbap’, ‘Somunnan Dwaeji Gukbap’ Bupyeong branch, ‘Sikbok Dwaeji Gukbap’, ‘Onammae Dwaeji Gukbap’ Jeonggwan branch, ‘Uri Dwaeji Gukbap’, ‘Ibagu Gukbap’, ‘Cheonghwabaek Dwaeji Gukbap’, and ‘Haeundae Halmae-jip’. Busan City did not disclose vote counts for each restaurant.

The Busan Dwaeji-gukbap Showdown, nicknamed the ‘Dwaechelin Guide’ (dwaeji-gukbap Michelin Guide), drew major local interest. That is because dwaeji-gukbap itself is a soul food of Busan. There have been private efforts to find great places for dwaeji-gukbap, but this is the first time Busan City has publicly stepped forward to ‘certify’ them.

The event began on the judgment that, amid a recent surge in foreign tourists, dwaeji-gukbap can become a major tourism content. Busan has many representative foods such as ‘milmyeon’, ‘dwaeji-gukbap’, and ‘gomjangeo’, but dwaeji-gukbap was seen as meeting key conditions: it can be eaten in any season, restaurants are easy to find anywhere in Busan, and it is approachable for foreign visitors.

Busan City planned and ran this event with the aim of elevating dwaeji-gukbap to the level of Japanese udon or ramen. Shin Ji-young of the Busan City Tourism Content Division said, “Public response was so strong that 500 ‘platter’ sets offering three flavors sold out early,” adding, “Even if colleagues tease me internally by calling me ‘Dwae-jusa’ (dwaeji-gukbap injection), I feel rewarded in nurturing local food.”

There are various theories about the origin of dwaeji-gukbap, but the leading view is that it began as an inexpensive meal during the Korean War, when refugees stretched their meals by adding pork offal. In the earthenware bowl of dwaeji-gukbap reside both the pride and the pain of Busan as the ‘wartime provisional capital’.

Poet and food columnist Choi Won-jun said, “Dwaeji-gukbap is a dish born from the mingling of cultures brought by refugees from all over the country,” adding, “For that reason it may feel familiar anywhere in Korea, yet it has distinctive traits found nowhere else.”

Poster for the 2026 Busan Dwaeji-gukbap Showdown. Provided by Busan City

Dwaeji-gukbap is evolving. Some places are transcending the limits of being a regional specialty of Busan, while others are shedding an old-shop image and targeting younger palates.

Even the 20 places chosen for this ‘Dwaechelin Guide’ show that the old market-stall image has been left behind.

1953 Hyeongje Dwaeji Gukbap opened a location in Los Angeles in the United States this year. Seojinseop Dwaeji Gukbap has been selected for the Blue Ribbon three years in a row (2023~2025). The Sinchang Gukbap main branch is famous for visits by Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong and LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, among others. The Sikbok Dwaeji Gukbap main branch is a brand created by a doctor to improve the quality of boiled pork supplied to hospitals.

The Jamae Gukbap main branch is known as a place where a BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) member waited in line to eat. The Yongho branch of Hapcheon Dwaeji Gukbap has been listed in the Michelin Guide for three consecutive years.

Choi said, “As second and third generations take over operations, diverse variations of dwaeji-gukbap are emerging. Recently there are even places serving a Japanese-style chashu,” adding, “The rise of restaurant-style dwaeji-gukbap eateries also reflects this generational shift.”

The event continues even after the ‘Dwaechelin Guide’ announcement. At Now Our Living on the 3rd floor of Busan International Finance Center 2, visitors can sample dwaeji-gukbap from 11 of the 20 citizen-recommended eateries through the 18th. Over three days, four groups per day participate. The ‘platter’ offering 3 varieties is fully booked in advance, but on site you can try a one-flavor ‘half gukbap’.

On the 17th and 18th, a Gukbap Salon event featuring food columnist Park Sang-hyun runs from 6 p.m. for one hour. Programs follow such as ‘Complete analysis of the Busan dwaeji-gukbap map’ and ‘The history of Busan in a single bowl’. Various dwaeji-gukbap goods are also sold.

Na Yun-bin, Director General of Tourism and MICE for Busan City, said, “Taste is subjective, so we did not set specific rankings for the restaurants,” adding, “In fact, I think the most delicious gukbap place is the ‘one near home’.”