Expensive bingsus become popular in Korea

“The more expensive it is, the better it sells.” Expensive bingsus, which sell for close to 100,000 won per bowl at hotels, have recently become popular in Korea.

According to the Josun Palace Seoul Gangnam on Thursday, shine muscat bingsu, which sells at 98,000 won at its 1914 Lounge Bar, is being sold out every day. Introduced in June this year, the summer desert is one of the expensive bingsus being sold at luxury hotels. The bingsu is for two to three servings and contains five bunches of shine muscats. Four of them are squeezed and added to shaved ice and the rest is used as toppings. Josun Palace only sells 20 bowls of them a day.

Before the shine muscat bingsu, the apple mango bingsu from the Shilla Hotel (\64,000) was the most popular luxury bingsu. Despite the controversy surrounding its expensive price, the apple mango bingsu gained popularity among young people, creating a fad, where they shared photos of the bingsu on social media. This year, more expensive bingsu has hit the market. The coconut mango bingsu (\62,000) from the Signiel Seoul and the apple mango bingsu (\68,000) from the Four Seasons Hotel are also popular.

For the MZ generation, who are generous in spending money to themselves, expensive bingsus are viewed as “small luxury” that is less expensive than staying overnight at a hotel. They enjoy bingsus at hotels as a way of taking a “hocance,” which means spending a vacation in a hotel. An official at the Josun Hotel and Resort said eight to nine out of 10 people, who order a bingsu at their hotel, are people in 20s and 30s.


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