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Why Korean convenience-store freezers are this autumn’s dessert hot spot

Frozen desserts are selling fast at Korean convenience stores. GS25’s Hanjeongseon yogurt rice cake has sold 700,000 units, and emart24’s iced candied sweet potato has outsold frozen pizza and dumplings. The trend rides a broader craze for tteok, or rice cakes, that Koreans call the “tteok pilgrimage.”

GS25’s Hanjeongseon rice cake

Hanjeongseon, a chapssaltteok brand that started in Seongsu-dong, was known for its queues. On September 3, GS25 launched the frozen Hanjeongseon Yogurt Chapssaltteok (3,900 won) with the brand and dessert maker Roromello. Eaten frozen, it is like sherbet; thawed, it turns soft and chewy.

GS25 said it sold 500,000 by September 20 and 700,000 as of its October 5 announcement, topping the chain’s September delivery and pick-up sales ahead of canned beer. A pistachio version (3,900 won) reaches stores on October 15.

Round rice cakes dusted with white powder packed on a silver tray
Round rice cakes dusted with white powder packed on a silver tray

emart24’s iced sweet potato

In early September, emart24 released Ice Goguma Matang (3,900 won), the classic candied sweet potato made to be eaten chilled, in a standing pouch. It is marketed as crisp outside and moist inside.

emart24 said it became the top seller among all its frozen foods, ahead of frozen pizza and dumplings. Sales for September 14–20 were 35% higher than in launch week. The chain’s frozen dessert sales rose 72% from January to September 15.

Glossy chunks of sweet potato in sugar syrup topped with sliced almonds
Glossy chunks of sweet potato in sugar syrup topped with sliced almonds

Other chains

CU said sales of its hyper-realistic ice creams, shaped like carrots, triangle kimbap and potatoes, rose 107.7% from January to September. 7-Eleven’s iced dessert sales grew 86% from January 1 to September 21, and its Ohayo Brulee Milk, topped with a sugar crust, sold 350,000 in 40 days.

At GS25, sales of rice cakes and rice-cake-based products jumped 312.6% between January 1 and September 20. The industry credits chewy and crunchy textures and the fun of eating them, as well as a longer shelf life than chilled desserts.

Queues at rice-cake shops

Rice cakes are selling as desserts beyond convenience stores, too. Fruit-filled chapssaltteok and fusion seolgi such as pizza seolgi draw weekday-morning queues at Pungnyeon Tteokjip in Incheon’s Bupyeong market.

A Changeok Tteok pop-up at The Hyundai Seoul drew more than 10,000 visitors in a week, and rice-cake sales at Lotte Department Store’s main and Jamsil branches rose more than 250% in July–August from a year earlier. Analysts say many younger buyers like supporting neighbourhood rice-cake shops.

Plates of colourful rice cakes behind the glass of a wooden shop display
Plates of colourful rice cakes behind the glass of a wooden shop display

Buying tips

Stock of limited items varies by store, and they sell out quickly. GS25 took pre-orders and delivery or pick-up orders for the Hanjeongseon rice cake through its Woori Dongne GS app.

Sales figures and growth rates are each company’s own. Frozen desserts are hard to take home in luggage.

Sources & context

2026-10-15T10:31:48.007Z

newswire.co.kr ↗newswire.co.kr ↗shinsegaegroupnewsroom.com ↗fnnews.com ↗etoday.co.kr ↗newswire.co.kr ↗
Photo creditGS리테일 제공 / 뉴스와이어 · Newswire press-release image for editorial reporting

A model in a GS25 store holds Hanjeongseon chapssaltteok in pistachio (left) and yogurt (right). Photo: GS Retail via Newswire