Packed Pouch Traveler · 9 stories

Folded Pouch, Jeolla and Jeju Stays and Shops

She writes about stays, beauty spots, cafes, restaurants, and shops she visits across Gwangju/Jeolla, Gangwon, Daejeon/Chungcheong, Seoul, Jeju, and Daegu/Gyeongbuk. · Writes about: Stays · Hair & beauty salons · Restaurants · Cafés · Shopping

PlaceSokcho, GangwonShopping

Sokcho market jeotgal shop: chewy squid on boiled pork wraps

Hwangbuja Jeotgal (황부자전통젓갈) is a jeotgal (salted seafood) shop inside Sokcho Tourist & Fish Market in Sokcho, Gangwon, where cold air rises beneath the jeotgal and clear covers sit on top, so sampling felt safe even in midsummer. The squid jeotgal picked after tasting is chewy like lightly dried squid and cut into long strips, and at home it went on the husband's homemade suyuk (boiled pork) in place of ssamjang. Squid jeotgal may seem ordinary, but Hwangbuja Jeotgal's version is a rice-stealer worth going back for.

Written Jul 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonShopping

Sokcho market grain snacks bought on one free sample: Ibuja Mayak

Ibuja Mayak Gotgan (이부자마약곳간) is a grain gangjeong (crispy puffed grain bar) shop on the first floor of Sokcho Central Market (Sokcho Tourism & Fisheries Market) in Sokcho, Gangwon. After a single sample offered while passing by, the writer bought all five grain gangjeong (brown rice, buckwheat, white rice, black rice and yellow rice) and found them crisp and nutty with no oily smell, the first snack anyone reached for back home. If you want a Sokcho snack to take home besides squid sundae and dakgangjeong (sweet fried chicken), Ibuja Mayak Gotgan's grain gangjeong is a good fit.

Written Jul 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonCafés

Sokcho IC bakery café: last-day potato bread office gifts, Bultan

Sokcho Bultan Gamja Bread Main Store is a potato bread bakery café right next to Sokcho IC on Haksapyeong-gil in Sokcho, Gangwon. On the last day of a Sokcho trip, with the car already packed, the writer stopped at Sokcho Bultan Gamja Bread and bought burnt potato bread and squid-flavored jjondeugi (chewy snack) as gifts for her husband's office. Reheated in the microwave for 20–30 seconds at home, the bread and potato filling turned much softer. If you want a Sokcho souvenir other than dakgangjeong (sweet crispy fried chicken), Sokcho Bultan Gamja Bread is a good stop on the drive home.

Written Jul 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonRestaurants

Sokcho tofu restaurant, couple's hangover breakfast: Daecheongmaru

Daecheongmaru is a tofu-focused Korean restaurant with a Seoraksan view on Gwangwang-ro in Sokcho, Gangwon. The morning after a night of drinking, we went to Daecheongmaru early and ordered chodang sundubu (soft tofu) served without seasoning and dried pollack hangover soup, then also tried pan-fried tofu and soybean pulp stew. Daecheongmaru's mild, lightly salted food made a satisfying, easy-on-the-stomach breakfast before starting a Seoraksan or Sokcho trip.

Written Jul 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonRestaurants

Sokcho market tempura shop, squid sundae after indigestion: Hwangbuja

Hwangbuja Twigim (황부자튀김) is a fried food shop in Sokcho Central Market (Sokcho Tourism and Fish Market) in Gangwon that sells squid sundae (squid stuffed with a savory filling), shrimp tempura and squid tempura in sets. The writer had avoided squid sundae since it once gave her indigestion, but watching it turn golden on the Hwangbuja Twigim griddle won her over, so she ate tempura while walking the market with her husband and carried the nurungji (scorched rice crust) squid sundae back to their lodging. Verdict: Hwangbuja Twigim's nurungji squid sundae suited her better than the plain version, making it her first stop on the next Sokcho trip.

Written Jul 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonCafés

Sokcho market bakery: Jeonju road-trip pea bread, Sokcho Sulppang

Sokcho Sulppang is a sulppang (steamed rice-wine bread) shop inside Sokcho Jungang Market in Sokcho, Gangwon, whose bread is fermented with raw makgeolli. Bought as a snack for a drive of more than 5 hours home to Jeonju on the last day of the trip, one Sokcho Sulppang loaf disappeared in the car in no time, and the rest was microwaved and eaten the next day. Individually wrapped and freezer-friendly, Sokcho Sulppang works as both a road-trip snack and a gift to take home.

Written Jul 20, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJeonju, JeonbukHair & beauty salons

Jeonju Sinsigaji Thai massage with my mom, a first-timer: Kim's Thai

Kim's Thai Jeonju Sinsigaji Massage is a Thai massage shop on the 4th floor of a building on Hongsan 3-gil in Wansan-gu, Jeonju. The writer's mom had numbness in her shoulders and arms, and the writer had a stiff neck and shoulders from carrying her baby. They shared a couples' room at Kim's Thai, where the therapists adjusted the pressure to each body, so even her mom, trying Thai massage for the first time, felt comfortable. Both fell asleep before 7 p.m. as soon as they got home, which makes Kim's Thai a great couples' massage in Jeonju to share with a parent.

Written Aug 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonRestaurants

Uni and bluefin belly takeout at a Sokcho sashimi shop: Daeilho Bangeo

Sokcho Daeilho Bangeo is a sashimi takeout shop inside Sokcho Central Market in Sokcho, Gangwon, selling aged sashimi, live-fish sashimi and sushi made from fish the owner's own boat brings in. The writer visited around 1 p.m., took the owner's recommendation of a bluefin tuna belly, sweet shrimp and sea urchin (uni) set, and ate it back at the lodging. The uni was nutty with no fishy taste and the sweet shrimp was sweet. The verdict: dishes that feel too pricey at a restaurant come in generous portions at a reasonable price at Sokcho Daeilho Bangeo.

Written Jul 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJeonju, JeonbukRestaurants

Cheese tteok jjukkumi for two in Inhu-dong, Jeonju: Jjukkumi Sinhwa

Jjukkumi Sinhwa Ajung-ri Main Branch is a Korean restaurant down an alley in Inhu-dong, Jeonju, specializing in Hwasan Jjukkumi (volcano-style spicy baby octopus). On the last day of a trip, the writer and her mother had two servings of Hwasan Jjukkumi with cheese tteok and sweet potato tteok add-ons, then cheese fried rice to finish, and remembered most the big pieces of octopus that stayed plump even fully cooked and the nutty garlic sauce. Staff cook the octopus and beef belly at the table, so lunch at Jjukkumi Sinhwa was just sitting and talking.

Written Aug 16, 2026Sponsored
You've reached the end · 9 stories