Wheat noodles are ready by Lee Chun-bok, the third-generation proprietor of Naeho Naengmyeon, Busan’s oldest identified restaurant, Oct. 17, 2019. Korea Instances file
Korea’s restaurant scene is understood for its breakneck restaurant turnover velocity, with eating places closing after only some years, to get replaced with new ones boasting „Since 2025“ that do not stand a lot likelihood of lasting any longer.
However the nation’s eatery historical past has a for much longer residing historical past than most individuals may suppose. The oldest identified restaurant is accepted to be Imun Seolnongtang, which the Seoul Metropolitan Authorities pegs as having began serving ox bone soup in 1904.
The house owners of Imun Seolnongtang pose in entrance of the restaurant in central Seoul’s Insa-dong neighborhood, Jan. 9, 2019. Korea Instances file
The second-oldest, Busan Anmyeonok, opened in 1905 in Pyongyang, then moved to Busan in 1953 after which Daegu in 1969. About 20 extra eating places are identified to have been based throughout the 1910-45 Japanese occupation, or proper earlier than it started or after liberation.
All this info has been made out there by way of the net free encyclopedia, Wikipedia, due to an nameless editor who listed 30 of the oldest known restaurants and wrote particular person entries for every.
The creator of those pages, who hides behind the username Seefooddiet, claims to be a Korean American male who grew up in Korea however now lives within the U.S.
„I put collectively the listing of oldest eating places as a result of I am attempting to enhance life like protection of Korea and spotlight its common individuals,“ he informed The Korea Instances.
„Gomtang,“ or beef bone soup, at Eunho Sikdang, Seoul’s fourth-oldest lively restaurant, Jan. 4, 2008 / Korea Instances file
„Protection of Korea is kind of poor on Wikipedia; now we have a major scarcity of succesful editors within the matter. I am one among a handful of editors on nonpop tradition Korea matters. The Korea-related matters that get one of the best protection on Wikipedia are South Korean popular culture, the Korean Battle, North Korea and South Korea’s scandals and painful historical past. However these matters do not actually mirror the truth of what residing in fashionable South Korea is like. These photographs are both too commercialized or too detrimental. Too typically are the conventional, good, hardworking individuals within the nation forgotten or ignored.“
To that finish, he has clearly put quite a lot of work into this mission. He stated the listing is predicated on plenty of different lists that he cites, though he additionally added just a few different eating places that hadn’t been listed in these lists. The listing was created on Aug. 17, 2024, and revisions and additions are ongoing.
„I’ve visited plenty of them myself,“ he stated. „Whereas they don’t seem to be at all times flashy or thrilling, they seem to be a line of continuity between the current and Korea’s unbelievable historic journey.“
The doorway to Cheonhwang Sikdang, a restaurant specializing in bibimbap in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, Aug. 4, 2008 / Korea Instances file
The toughest a part of placing collectively the listing was deciding whether or not to simply accept the eating places‘ claims of longevity or continuity.
„Eating places basically — not simply in South Korea — will typically attempt to declare they are much older than they really are, even going to the extent of placing faux years of their names to make themselves sound prestigious,“ he stated. „Different eating places will declare to be successors of earlier eating places that went out of enterprise; a few of these claims are extra stable than others. On Wikipedia, we’re presupposed to not decide such claims on our personal. As an alternative, we’re presupposed to report views proportionately to how mainstream they’re. In different phrases, as an alternative of judging ‚Is that this restaurant actually that previous?‘ I judged ‚Is that this restaurant’s age broadly accepted?‘ and ‚Is that this restaurant’s continuity broadly accepted?‘ These questions are deceptively tough to reply.“
He pointed to the instance of Gonghwachun, a historic restaurant that opened someday between 1905 and 1908. It’s stated to have invented the Korean Chinese language dish „jjajangmyeon,“ or noodles in black bean sauce, a declare Seefooddiet stated is usually accepted, with no important competing claims. Nevertheless it closed in 1983, and the constructing turned a Registered Cultural Heritage in 2006 and now homes a Jajangmyeon Museum, established in 2012.
In the meantime, the proprietor household continued working one other restaurant, referred to as Sinseung Banjeom. Then within the 2000s, a brand new restaurant referred to as Gonghwachun was opened.
When the brand new Gonghwachun claimed to be the professional successor, Sinseung Banjeom’s house owners sued to stop them from making this declare.
„As a result of there was sufficient controversy across the declare, I made a decision to not embody it,“ Seefooddiet stated. „The eating places that did make it onto the listing, I did not see such publicized disputes over their legitimacy in mainstream information sources.“
The Jjajangmyeon Museum in Incheon, April 30, 2012 / Korea Instances file
He added that this and all of his selections on Wikipedia are open to debate. „Be at liberty to submit on the discuss web page of the article in case you disagree with something,“ he stated. „Wikipedia is collaborative; in case you disagree with one thing on it you are inspired to debate or edit.“
He added that he prefers to maintain his anonymity as a result of he generally writes on contentious matters. He cited a massive defamation lawsuit filed last year by the federal government of India in opposition to the Wikimedia Basis, and a more moderen report in regards to the conservative U.S. Heritage Basis’s plans to „identify and target“ volunteer editors on Wikipedia.
„I do not suppose I am at important danger — simply enjoying it secure,“ Seefooddiet stated. „Most of my writing is on the early twentieth century, so few have incentive to focus on me. Additionally, all my writing displays mainstream tutorial analysis, per Wikipedia coverage.“
Together with the listing of oldest eating places, he additionally wrote virtually all of the articles on Michelin-starred eating places in Korea. Past masking meals, he additionally created and contributed to numerous different entries, together with articles on Seoul Future Heritage websites, Korean diaspora, the March First Motion, Canadian missionary Frank Schofield, dictator Park Chung-hee, independence determine Kim Ku and „budae jjigae,“ which he describes as „a dish symbolic of South Korea’s rise from poverty.“ On his Wikipedia person profile web page, he says he prioritizes „matters that I feel others are unlikely to work on,“ and which might be of use to non-Koreans, Korean diaspora and historians.
„I want we had extra editors. I am stretched skinny throughout plenty of tasks to be able to attempt to get each breadth and depth on Korea,“ he stated.
„Wikipedia is vital to the world proper now, in an period of extremism and social media algorithms controlling info. Even in case you disagree with elements of Wikipedia, it is clearly helpful for matters you may discover uncontroversial, and for getting a high-level overview of matters you are unfamiliar with. I disagree with elements of Wikipedia on a regular basis; disagreement and corrections are actually part of the method. Corrections on Wikipedia usually are not at all times simple to make; generally you could have a powerful understanding of how Wikipedia works, and generally you could have prolonged debates that contain citing tutorial papers. However there is a purpose I’ve donated a whole bunch of hours of my time to doing all this. I get completely no direct profit from enhancing Wikipedia. I simply suppose Wikipedia helps make the world a greater place.“
In the meantime, his listing of Korea’s oldest eating places seems to be gaining traction, as numerous persons are utilizing the listing to search out genuine culinary experiences, together with some content material creators and influencers.
„I’ve seen the listing get some reasonable traction on-line,“ Seefooddiet stated. „I might prefer it to get extra consideration so that individuals can assist these companies. Lots of them are having a tough time staying open because of financial circumstances or altering tastes. The South Korean and Seoul governments used to offer extra assist for these eating places, however such applications have waned lately.“
Cheongjinok, opened in 1937, serves „haejangguk“ (hangover soup) for the final time at its unique location earlier than closing in central Seoul, Aug. 3, 2008, and relocating to a contemporary skyscraper close by. Korea Instances file
So far as favourite eating places go, he really useful individuals attempt the unique Yonggeumok in downtown Seoul’s Da-dong, which opened in 1932.
„Get the ‚chueo-tang‘ with the entire pond loach, bones and all,“ he stated. „It is a distinctive and memorable culinary expertise I’ve probably not had or seen in different nations. The bones are hardly noticeable and the style is nice.“
The proprietor of Yonggeumok, opened in 1932, cooks „chueo-tang“ (loach soup) on the restaurant’s Da-dong location. Korea Instances file
