How Daejeon evolved from 'city of no fun' to 'city of bread'

In 2019, Daejeon Metropolitan City made an unusual pitch to tourists, jokingly asking them to post their own tour flowchart for what it calls “Boring Daejeon.” The decision tree invites visitors to answer “yes” or “no” to questions such as “Can you invite them to your home?” to guide them to a historic bakery, Sungsimdang, located in the heart of the city.

The joke highlights how Daejeon is widely perceived as a "boring" city, lacking standout attractions compared to other similarly sized cities. However, last year the city welcomed 90.94 million visitors, marking the highest number since the Korea Tourism Data Lab began tracking the figures. Remarkably, nearly half of these visits, accounting for 48.1 percent, were due to food tourism.

Much of this draw is attributed to the city's bakery scene, led by Sungsimdang, which has a rich heritage dating back decades to the city's status as a hub for flour-based foods. Following the conclusion of the Korean War in 1953, the United States began sending free flour as relief aid, significantly impacting Daejeon's culinary landscape.