{
  "id": 16747176,
  "title": "Convenience stores jump on Korea's rice cake dessert boom",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/convenience-stores-jump-on-koreas-rice-cake-dessert-boom",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-27T13:07:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/business/20261027/convenience-stores-jump-on-koreas-rice-cake-dessert-boom"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Convenience stores across South Korea are capitalizing on the country's growing craze for rice cake desserts, as spending on these sweet treats surged 31.2 percent year-over-year. The significant increase in purchases, totaling 151.9 billion won ($112 million) from September last year to August this year, reflects a surge in demand driven by viral social media trends and a willingness among young consumers to wait in long lines to secure these popular items. The trend, dubbed \"tteok-run,\" has seen a wide variety of rice cake desserts, such as Shanghai-style butter rice cakes and Gwangju's Changeok rice cakes, gaining popularity. Spending on rice cakes rose more than 20 percent across all age groups, with purchases by those in their 20s and younger increasing by 45.5 percent.",
  "summary": "From butter to toppings, Korean rice cakes — called \"tteok\" — are enjoying a heyday of flavor innovation. As various rice cake desserts lead this year’s food trends, even spawning the term “tteok-run” to refer to lining up before a store opens to secure the trendy treats, convenience store chains are jumping on the bandwagon. According to purchasing data from market research firm Embrain,…",
  "key_points": [
    "Convenience store sales of rice cakes surge 31.2% YoY in South Korea.",
    "\"Tteok-run\" trend fueled by social media and young consumers.",
    "Rice cake purchases up 45.5% among those in their 20s and younger."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Retailers are pivoting to social media-driven dessert trends to capture the massive surge in spending among younger consumers who are fueling a nationwide craze for traditional rice cake treats.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}