Jaembaeok () is a historic Korean restaurant in

Jung District, Seoul Jung District () is one of the 25 List of districts of Seoul, districts of Seoul, South Korea. It has a population of 131,452 (2013) and has a geographic area , making it both the least-populous and the smallest district of Seoul, and is divided ...

, South Korea. It is the fifth oldest active restaurant in Seoul, having opened in 1933. It specializes in the ox bone soup dish ''

seolleongtang ''Seolleongtang'' * () or ox bone soup is a Korean ''tang'' (soup) made from ox bones (mostly leg bones), brisket and other cuts. Seasoning is generally done at the table according to personal taste by adding salt, ground black pepper, red pepp ...

''. The restaurant is one of relatively few ''seolleongtang'' restaurants in the city that survived the 1910–1945 Japanese colonial period and 1950–1953

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. According to the second-generation owner of the restaurant, the name of the restaurant comes from phrase ''jabawi'' (), a name for the owner's home area in Do-dong. The pronunciation drifted to ''jambawi'' (), then to ''jaembae''; ''ok'' () means house. The restaurant reportedly has a soup ''

gamasot (), or simply (), is a large, heavy pot or cauldron commonly used in Korean cuisine. Origin The modern Korean descends from the ancient ''jeong'' (鼎), which is made of bronze. Bronze ''sot'' are frequently unearthed as remains of the T ...

'' (cauldron) that boils at all hours. The soup is continually added to in a similar manner to that of a

perpetual stew A perpetual stew, also known as forever soup, hunter's pot or hunter's stew, is a pot into which foodstuffs are placed and cooked, continuously. The pot is never or rarely emptied, and ingredients and liquid are replenished as necessary. Such foo ...

. It also serves other dishes, such as '' doganitang'', '' kkori-gomtang'', and ''

haejang-guk ''Haejang-guk'' * () or hangover soup refers to every kind of '' guk'' or soup eaten as a hangover cure in Korean cuisine. It means "soup to chase a hangover" and is also called ''sulguk'' (). It usually consists of dried napa cabbage, vegetabl ...

''. The restaurant first opened in 1933, near

Seoul Station Seoul Station () is a major railway station in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The station is served by the Korail Intercity Lines and the commuter trains of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. Services KTX Seoul Station is the terminus of m ...

, by Kim Hee-jun. The exact founding date is reportedly uncertain; the founder recalled the date as either 1932 or 1933, and reported 1933 to be conservative. It was reportedly destroyed during the 1950–1953

. During the war, Kim fled Seoul and served other refugees food from a tent. Upon the 1953 ceasefire, Kim returned and resumed business in Namdaemun. In 1974, the store moved to its current location. In 1982, Kim died and passed the restaurant onto his son Kim Hyeon-min (). The restaurant eventually passed to grandson Kim Kyung-bae and granddaughter-in-law Yoon Kyung-sook.

References

{{Historic restaurants in South Korea 1933 establishments in Korea Companies of Korea under Japanese rule Buildings and structures in Jung District, Seoul Restaurants in Seoul

See also

References