Sokcho Jungang Market snack shop with nut oranda: Sokcho Yetgokgan

Where is Sokcho Yetgokgan?

Sokcho Yetgokgan is located at 38 Jungangsijang-ro 6-gil, unit 104, Sokcho, Gangwon, South Korea — unit 31 of the fried chicken alley in Sokcho's Jungang Market. It's open daily from 9 AM to 8 PM.

What's on the shelves at Sokcho Yetgokgan in Jungang Market?

Sokcho Yetgokgan, where the handmade oranda was so good. Different kinds of gangjeong and traditional snacks were neatly lined up on the shelves! Even at a glance there was quite a variety, so it was fun browsing and tasting one by one ✨

From gangjeong and oranda to yakgwa — those old-school snacks — plus buckwheat and grain-based crackers and homemade teas, there was plenty to choose from. It's a great place to look around for snacks and gifts to bring back for family or friends after a Sokcho trip ➰

Green tangerine yakgwa and yuzu yakgwa

Regular yakgwa (honey cookies) are already good, but the ones with green tangerine or yuzu added have that fragrant extra note, so you get to enjoy something a bit different⋆*

Gangjeong gift boxes

These days, holiday gifts don't have to be fixed sets — a lot of people prefer something light to snack on, paired with tea. In that sense, packing oranda, yakgwa or gangjeong to your own taste makes for a tasteful Chuseok gift ෆ

Drinks to sip while browsing the market

Sokcho Yetgokgan also has a good range of drinks to enjoy cold ✨ Walking around Sokcho Jungang Market looking at everything gets you thirstier than expected, so it's nice to grab a cold juice and sip it while browsing ☺️

Personally, I thought pairing a drink with sweet snacks like gangjeong or oranda would be even better - 🤍 If you're picking up snacks to bring home, it's a nice idea to add sikhye (sweet rice punch) or a drink alongside the gangjeong and oranda to share with family!

Roasted sweet pumpkin chips, buckwheat chips and other grain chips

On one side of Sokcho Yetgokgan, roasted sweet pumpkin chips, buckwheat chips, barley-buckwheat chips and other traditional grain snacks were displayed — a bit different from the usual crackers you see 🫧 With several kinds together, it's easy to pick according to your taste, and they're nice as a light snack too!

They're good to buy one at a time and eat at your accommodation during a Sokcho trip, or mix a few together with gangjeong and oranda for a gift set ꣑୧

The owner's explanation and a free tasting

What I liked most about picking products at Sokcho Yetgokgan was how thoroughly the owner explained each item! With so many kinds to choose from, I was having trouble deciding, but whenever I asked about a product, the owner explained it kindly and in detail, and I could taste it before choosing ෆ

Ginger syrup vs bellflower root syrup: what's the difference?

At Sokcho Yetgokgan I also got to see ginger tea and bellflower root tea ✨ The owner explained that these teas are made without corn syrup or sugar — slow-boiled by hand using jocheong (rice syrup) instead.

Ginger syrup

Ginger is well known for warming the body, and its distinctive sharp aroma and flavor make it great as a hot tea — on a chilly day, a spoonful or two of this ginger tea stirred into warm water lets you enjoy that fragrant, spicy note easily -🤍

Bellflower root syrup

Bellflower root has long been used to soothe the throat and support respiratory health, so this tea makes a nice gift for parents or older relatives ➰ The bellflower's characteristic bitterness balanced with sweetness makes it good as a tea, and since it's made without sugar or corn syrup, it's worth a look if you've been mindful about sugar content when choosing teas ✨

It's good stirred into warm water as a tea, and also nice to keep at home to share with family — a tea that pairs well with traditional snacks as a Chuseok gift!

What exactly is nut oranda?

Oranda is a traditional snack made by coating lightly puffed grains, like puffed rice, in sweet jocheong or syrup ⛧ Nuts are sometimes added for extra nuttiness! Old-style oranda tends to come to mind as hard and crunchy, but this handmade version has a soft, chewy texture that's easy to enjoy - 🤍

The pieces are generously big

The size was another satisfying part 👍🏻 I expected handmade oranda to come in smaller pieces, but in person, each piece was actually quite large and elongated!

⛧⛧ Especially considering it's handmade, the size and quantity felt like really good value for the price ෆ*₊

Looking at the size, I wondered if it might be hard, but once I bit in, it was surprisingly soft, with the sweetness coming through first, and nuts crunching through here and there for extra nuttiness -!!

How does the handmade oranda at Sokcho Yetgokgan taste?

⛧⛧ Beyond expectations ⛧⛧ Of everything I tried this time, the handmade oranda at Sokcho Yetgokgan stuck with me the most. Texture is the most important thing when eating oranda, and this one was really soft…

It breaks apart with a soft, melt-away snap, and despite the jocheong, it barely sticks to your teeth or feels gluey, so it was easy to eat ☺️

+ If you take it out of the fridge, it can get slightly crisp! Eat it however suits your taste ➰

The sweet oranda and nutty crunch go well together, and being large-sized, it's great to pull one out as a snack — honestly, you go through them fast ,, ᰔ

It's a snack that's relatively easy to enjoy for people who find hard snacks difficult, or for older folks with weaker teeth ꗯ̤̮ The sweetness isn't overpoweringly rich, just pleasantly sweet, so it's a snack that both kids and adults could like!

📦 Sokcho Yetgokgan offers nationwide delivery

Is Sokcho Yetgokgan worth a stop? Final thoughts

There are plenty of snacks around Sokcho Jungang Market, but at Sokcho Yetgokgan you can find gangjeong, oranda, yakgwa, roasted sweet pumpkin and buckwheat chips, along with homemade teas and drinks, all in one place ✨ In particular, the handmade nut oranda I tried was soft and sweet, genuinely delicious, and satisfying in both size and quantity!

If you're looking for a snack gift for family or friends this coming Chuseok, this is a good place to pick and pack to your own taste — worth stopping by while visiting Sokcho Jungang Market ෆ ෆ That's it for Sokcho Yetgokgan, the snack gift shop of Sokcho Jungang Market ✔️