A Comprehensive Guide to the Top 7 Traditional Local Dishes and Specialties of Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province

Where can you find Yangpyeong Hanwoo?

You can purchase meat for grilling or stew directly at farm direct sales outlets in the Gaegun-myeon area.
The Sansuyu Hanwoo Festival from late March to early April is the time when you can enjoy it at the lowest price.

Yangpyeong Sansuyu Hanwoo Festival at a Glance

Timing — Every year from late March to early April, for two days (weekend) coinciding with the peak bloom of Cornelian cherry blossoms
Location — Gaegun-myeon town center (main venue), Naeri, Jueup-ri, and Hyang-ri Sansuyu Villages (sub-venue)

Yongmunsan Mountain wild greens

Dongguk Yeojiji, compiled during the mid-Joseon Dynasty, records that wild mountain vegetables from Yongmunsan Mountain were offered as tribute to the king. The vegetables from this region have been regarded as the best since ancient times, to the extent that the same content is repeated in almost every geographical text compiled thereafter.

Mt. Yongmun, standing at 1,157 meters above sea level, is one of the highest mountains in Gyeonggi Province. The high altitude causes the seasons to be delayed by a beat, to the point where snow falls near the summit even in May. This extreme diurnal temperature range and the soil in the deep valleys allow wild greens to grow slowly and firmly.

In spring, starting with Aralia elata, daylilies, bear's garlic, wild aster, and bracken appear in succession. Wild herb gatherers unanimously agree that the herbs grown in the valleys of Yongmun Mountain are much less bitter than the same varieties picked by the river.

Among them, deodeok is particularly famous in the area around Mt. Yongmun. Wild deodeok, which grows slowly on shaded mountain slopes covered with fallen leaves, has an aroma twice as strong as that grown in fields, and when you take a bite, a spicy yet slightly bitter taste lingers deep in the throat. This is why restaurants at the entrance of Mt. Yongmun serve grilled deodeok alongside their main dishes.

Every year from late April to early May, the Yongmunsan Wild Greens Festival is held in the area around the Yongmunsan tourist site. At the direct sales booths, you can purchase freshly harvested wild greens at a lower price than in the market, and there are also opportunities to taste wild green dishes and participate in harvesting experiences.

Yangdong chives

The Yangdong-myeon area at the eastern end of Yangpyeong-gun is a mountainous region boasting clean air and pure water. The chives grown here are... Clear-water Yangpyeong chivesall.

In 2005, as Yangpyeong was designated as the nation's first eco-friendly agricultural special zone, the county selected several crops, including chives, as its top 10 premium specialty crops and has been cultivating them intensively.

As a result, Yangdong-myeon chives have established themselves as a representative local crop, with over 170 farm households producing 5,500 tons annually and generating over 18 billion won in revenue.

It is characterized by being grown using organic fertilizers such as wood vinegar and herbal nutrients, moving away from traditional greenhouse cultivation methods. The strong aroma and tender, soft stems are considered the strengths of Yangdong chives.

It is shipped to the Garak-dong Agricultural and Fisheries Market and is regarded as the best chives in the country; locally, it is most commonly enjoyed in chive pancakes or fresh kimchi.

Cheongun Watermelon

Cheongun Watermelon, which refers to watermelons grown in the Cheongun-myeon area, is also a crop that Yangpyeong has selected and cultivated as one of its top 10 premium specialty crops, along with chives.

Grown with the goal of achieving the nation's highest level of taste through rigorous cultivation management based on eco-friendly certification. The mountainous terrain results in significant diurnal temperature variations, which create conditions that boost the watermelon's sugar content.

Cheongun watermelon and Yangpyeong leafy greens each generate annual sales of about 2 billion won, forming a pillar of Yangpyeong's eco-friendly agriculture along with chives and purslane.

High-quality Yangpyeong watermelons are shipped to the Garak-dong Agricultural and Fisheries Wholesale Market and are highly popular among locals as a delicacy to cool down in the midsummer heat.

Yangpyeong local food

Yangpyeong Haejangguk

It is no exaggeration to say that the first food that comes to mind when hearing the name Yangpyeong is haejangguk. It is said that it started in the late 1960s at a small shop in Sinnae Village, Gaegeun-myeon.

At that time, there were many laborers working on bridge construction along the Bukhan River while traveling on rafts. An old woman bought cow offal and bones at the Yangpyeong cattle market and started cooking and selling gukbap to them.

This soup, which became famous by word of mouth among laborers on rafts, gradually made its way to Seoul and established itself under the name Yangpyeong Haejangguk. Even today, a shop near Yanggeun Bridge known as the original is bustling with customers.

The basic form of Yangpyeong Haejangguk is made by generously adding blood sausage, tripe, bean sprouts, and dried radish greens, and simmering it spicy with chili oil. It has more abundant ingredients and a richer broth than regular blood sausage haejangguk.

It is served in a hot earthenware pot generously filled with large chunks of blood sausage and offal; the blood sausage is savory and tender, while the tripe retains a delightful chewy texture. The flavor deepens even further when mixed with rice and topped with radish kimchi and regular kimchi.

[Image insertion location: Yangpyeong Haejangguk boiling in an earthenware pot with blood sausage and offal]

Okcheon Naengmyeon

The origin of Okcheon Naengmyeon dates back to the Korean War. In 1950, Lee Kwon-hyeok and Kim Sun-deok, a couple who had fled from Geumcheon, Hwanghae Province, stayed in Busan with the intention of returning to their hometown as soon as the war ended.

However, as the armistice line solidified, the road back to their hometown was blocked, and in 1952, the couple settled in Okcheon, where Yongmunsan Mountain is located. Having run a cold noodle restaurant in Geumcheon, they started the same business here.

The couple, who ran a restaurant called Hwanghae Restaurant and sold cold noodles along with dishes made from freshwater fish they caught themselves, narrowed their menu to four items—water cold noodles, spicy cold noodles, meatballs, and sliced boiled pork—starting in 1967 as the cold noodles became famous.

The large number of military bases in this area also contributed to the nationwide spread of Okcheon Naengmyeon. Soldiers who frequently transferred their posts spread the word, carrying the name of Okcheon Naengmyeon far and wide.

Unlike Pyongyang Naengmyeon or Hamheung Naengmyeon, which follow North Korean place names, it is named after the village where it was settled. 玉川The third-generation owners of the shop say that the unique feature of Okcheon Naengmyeon is that it is attached exactly as it is.

The noodles, made by mixing hulled buckwheat and sweet potato starch, are thicker and chewier than Pyongyang Naengmyeon. Dongchimi broth is added to the mild stock to create a deep flavor.

The meatballs served with cold noodles look similar to donggeurangtteok, but they have a much firmer and drier texture because they contain no tofu and have a higher proportion of pork. Enjoying cold noodles, meatballs, and sliced boiled pork together is called Okcheon Naengmyeon Samhap.

Since Hwanghae Restaurant opened, cold noodle restaurants have sprung up one after another in the Okcheon-ri area, naturally forming a cold noodle village. Compared to Pyongyang cold noodles, it differs in that the noodles are thicker and provide a greater sense of fullness as a meal.

Yongmunsan Namul Bapsang

Restaurants serving wild vegetable or barley rice set meals have long been established in the village at the foot of Mt. Yongmun. Although these dishes do not have specific names, they have naturally become a staple dining spot for those climbing to Yongmunsa Temple.

While the specifics vary slightly from shop to shop, the general flow is the same. Barley or mixed grain rice is served with various vegetable side dishes made fresh that day, accompanied by soybean paste stew and one or two grilled dishes. Seasonal vegetables from Yongmun Mountain, such as Aralia elata, Ligularia fischeri, Aster scaber, and Osmunda japonica, form the centerpiece of the side dishes.

In the spring, freshly harvested greens are served, and after the season passes, dried greens prepared during their prime are served. Regular customers say that dried greens have a deep flavor distinct from fresh greens due to the process of drying, rehydrating, and stir-frying them.

There are many restaurants where you can order grilled deodeok as a standalone dish. The deodeok grown in the Yongmunsan area has a strong aroma, so when grilled, a savory and slightly bitter scent wafts far and wide. Enjoying a meal of seasoned vegetables along with grilled deodeok is the standard dining experience in this region.

Yangpyeong Seasonal Food Calendar

To truly experience Yangpyeong, it is best to visit according to the seasons. Each season has its own distinct time, from spring when Cornelian cherry blossoms bloom, to just before summer when deodeok and chives are at their peak, and finally to midsummer when watermelons are sweet.

food	Seasonal period	Signature taste	How to enjoy the recommendations
Cornelian cherry	Late March to early April (flowers) / Autumn (fruits)	Sour and subtle sweetness	Sansuyu Tea, Sansuyu Hanwoo Festival Viewing
Yangpyeong Hanwoo	Year-round, festivals are in March and April	bright crimson flesh	Grilled meat, wild vegetable bibimbap
Yongmunsan Mountain wild greens and deodeok	April–June (Fresh greens) / Year-round (Dried greens)	Bitter and fragrant	Namul Bapsang, Grilled Deodeok, Wild Vegetable Festival (Late April to Early May)
Yangdong chives	Spring to early summer	Strong scent, soft stems	Chive pancake, fresh kimchi
Cheongun Watermelon	July~August	High sugar content	As fresh fruit

You can make the most of your visit to Yangpyeong by following an itinerary that includes viewing the mist at Dumulmeori, finishing a bowl of cold noodles at Okcheon Naengmyeon Village, and then heading over to Gaegun-myeon Sansuyu Village to taste Korean beef.