Leesungdang () is a historic bakery in
Gunsan
Gunsan (; ), also romanized as Kunsan, is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is on the south bank of the Geum River just upstream from its exit into the Yellow Sea. It has emerged as a high-t ...
,
North Jeolla Province
North Jeolla Province, officially Jeonbuk State (), is a Special Self-governing Province of South Korea in the Honam region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. Jeonbuk borders the provinces of South Chungcheong to the north, North Gyeo ...
, South Korea. It is the oldest active bakery in South Korea, having been founded in 1945, just after the
liberation of Korea
Liberation or liberate may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War
* "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode
* "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode
Gaming
* '' Liberati ...
.
It has remained a family business since then, and by 2019 was operated by the daughter-in-law of the founder.
, the bakery operates several branch locations, including four in
Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
(one under the name Haetssalmaru), one in
Yongin
Yongin (; ) is a city in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, the largest in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population over 1 million, the city has developed rapidly since the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in th ...
, and one in
Hwaseong.
The bakery is reportedly known for its ''
anpan
is a Japanese sweet roll most commonly filled with red bean paste. Anpan can also be prepared with other fillings, including white beans (''shiro-an''), green beans (''uguisu-an''), sesame (''goma-an''), and chestnuts (''kuri-an'').
History ...
'' () and vegetable bread.
History
A Japanese predecessor to the bakery first opened in the 1920s, during
the colonial period. After Korea's liberation in 1945, the bakery's Korean employees took over the restaurant and renamed it Leesungdang.
The business experienced a rough period in the 1990s, when traffic in the area decreased. The chain eventually managed to expand by the 2010s, after it achieved popularity through
word of mouth
Word of mouth is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others a ...
.
The restaurant also operates a branch store in Seoul under a different name: Haetssalmaru (). This branch is operated by the family's third generation.
In April 2020, it opened a branch in the
Lotte Department Store
Lotte Department Store () is a Korean retail company established in 1979, and headquartered in Sogong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Lotte Department Store offers retail consumer goods and services and is one out of 8 business units of Lot ...
, Gimpo Airport branch.
See also
*
Taegeukdang
Taegeukdang () is a historic bakery now located in Jangchung-dong, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. It was originally founded in 1946 in Myeong-dong, and moved to its current location in 1973. It is considered the oldest active bakery in Seoul. ...
– oldest bakery in Seoul
*
Sungsimdang
Sungsimdang () is a Western-style bakery in Daejeon, South Korea. It is most well known for soboro-ppang and chive bread. The small chain has been hailed as one of the best in the nation and is a representative brand of the city. Annual sales wer ...
– historic bakery in Daegu
*
List of oldest restaurants in South Korea
This is a list of the oldest active restaurants in South Korea. For inclusion in the list, the restaurant must be currently active and located within South Korea proper, with relative consensus on the founding date and continuity of the restaurant ...
References
External links
Homepage (in Korean){{Historic restaurants in South Korea
Gunsan
Bakeries of South Korea
1945 establishments in Korea