Yonggeumok

Yonggeumok, written in Korean as 용금옥 and in Hanja as 湧金屋, is a historic Korean restaurant brand specializing in Seoul-style chueo-tang, a soup made with pond loaches. The name is commonly translated as “house of flowing gold,” apparently expressing a wish for prosperity. The restaurant is generally described as one of South Korea’s oldest continuously operating restaurants and the third-oldest operating restaurant in Seoul. It was founded in 1932 by Hong Gi-nyeo, a young newlywed who opened the business during the Japanese colonial period. Her husband was Shin Seok-sung. The original establishment stood in the area now associated with Mugyo-dong, near Cheonggyecheon, where loaches were historically plentiful. The restaurant became known for Hong’s cooking and grew to a substantial size during its most successful period. Yonggeumok’s defining dish is its Seoul-style chueo-tang, which the restaurant also calls chu-tang, an older name for the preparation. Unlike the more widely encountered regional version, in which the fish are ground into a smooth paste, Yonggeumok’s Seoul-style soup leaves the loaches whole. The fish are boiled until their small bones become soft enough to eat. The broth traditionally includes beef stock, red pepper flakes, tofu, tofu skin, mushrooms, noodles, and a generous amount of scallions. The whole-fish method is associated with earlier customers’ desire to verify that the soup contained genuine loaches rather than an unidentified paste. This preparation was once more common in Seoul but had become relatively unusual by the late twentieth century. The original business closed in 1960 because of financial difficulties and redevelopment in the surrounding district. It later resumed operations in a hanok-style house that had previously served as a resting place for employees. That building became the Da-dong branch in Jung District and remains the older of the two current locations. Following Hong Gi-nyeo’s death in 1982, management passed to her youngest daughter-in-law, Han Jeong-ja. A second branch was opened in the late 1990s and eventually moved to Tongin-dong, where it operates alongside the Da-dong restaurant. The two locations serve broadly similar food but maintain some separate practices: the Da-dong broth uses tripe, reflecting an older preparation, while the Tongin-dong version uses beef bones. The restaurant’s central Seoul location brought it into contact with politicians, officials, journalists, artists, and other prominent visitors. Stories connected with the restaurant include accounts involving Korean and North Korean officials, although some of these anecdotes are explicitly uncertain or based on recollection. Yonggeumok has also been associated with working-class Seoul food culture. In 2017, President Moon Jae-in had the restaurant’s chueo-tang served at the presidential residence during an event for trade-union representatives. Yonggeumok has developed into a heritage and tourism destination as well as a neighborhood restaurant. It appears in the Michelin Guide as a Bib Gourmand establishment and was designated a Seoul Future Heritage site in 2013. Its importance rests less on rapid expansion than on continuity: the business has remained within the founding family across three generations, and the two branches continue to preserve a distinctive local preparation. The restaurant has nevertheless faced commercial pressures. Its operators have described the business as only moderately profitable, and the COVID-19 pandemic reportedly reduced daily patronage by approximately half from pre-pandemic levels. Redevelopment around the Da-dong site has also created uncertainty. Despite these challenges, the family has indicated a preference for keeping Yonggeumok operating for as long as possible.

Yonggeumok was established in 1932 by Hong Gi-nyeo, who was then in her early twenties and newly married to Shin Seok-sung. The restaurant began in the Mugyo-dong area of central Seoul during the Japanese colonial period. Its location near Cheonggyecheon was significant to its original menu because the stream and surrounding waterways supported a large population of pond loaches. Hong became known as a skilled cook, and the restaurant gained a reputation for its chueo-tang. During its heyday, the establishment occupied roughly 100 pyeong, or about 330 square meters. The name Yonggeumok is written as 湧金屋 and is usually interpreted as “house of flowing gold.” The name may have expressed a hope that the business would prosper. Another tradition holds that the restaurant was initially unnamed and received its name from a customer, possibly the poet Byeon Yeong-ro. The attribution is not certain, but it reflects the restaurant’s place in Seoul’s urban folklore. Yonggeumok serves a Seoul-style form of chueo-tang. Its soup is based on beef broth and contains whole pond loaches rather than fish ground into a paste. Red pepper flakes, tofu, tofu skin, mushrooms, noodles, and scallions are also used. The loaches are cooked until their fine bones soften and can be eaten. The method is associated with historical customers who wanted to be able to confirm that the fish in the soup were genuine. Although the whole-fish preparation was once common in Seoul, it became less familiar even to many Seoul residents as other versions of chueo-tang became more prevalent. The original restaurant closed in 1960 after financial difficulties and redevelopment affected the district. It subsequently reopened in a smaller hanok-style building that had served as a resting place for employees. This site, in Da-dong, became the older of Yonggeumok’s two present branches; the original Mugyo-dong site is now occupied by a modern commercial building. The revived Da-dong restaurant was located only a short distance from the original premises. After Hong Gi-nyeo died in 1982, responsibility for the business passed to her youngest daughter-in-law, Han Jeong-ja. A second branch was established around 1997, initially in Mugyo-dong, and moved approximately a decade later to Tongin-dong. The branches operate with a degree of independence while maintaining essentially the same culinary identity. The Da-dong branch uses tripe in its broth, a practice described as closer to the older method, whereas the Tongin-dong branch uses beef bones. Because it operated in central Seoul for decades, Yonggeumok attracted officials and public figures. Newspaper clippings and photographs displayed at the restaurant document some of its notable customers. Accounts also connect the restaurant with inter-Korean political history: during the 1953 Korean War ceasefire negotiations, an interpreter for North Korean leader Kim Il Sung reportedly asked whether Yonggeumok was still operating; during a 1973 North–South conference, North Korean representative Pak Song-chol reportedly made a similar inquiry. The claim that Kim Il Sung’s younger brother Kim Yong-ju ate there after returning to Seoul is described as uncertain. North Korean Prime Minister Yon Hyong-muk reportedly ate at the restaurant twice during a 1990 visit to Seoul. South Korean National Assembly Speaker Lee Man-seop was also identified as a regular or admirer. Yonggeumok’s cultural profile expanded beyond its regular clientele. Seoul designated the restaurant a Future Heritage in 2013, and the Michelin Guide lists it as a Bib Gourmand restaurant. In 2017, chueo-tang from Yonggeumok was served at the Blue House during an event for trade-union representatives hosted under President Moon Jae-in. The dish’s association with ordinary workers made it symbolically appropriate for the occasion. The restaurant has remained a family business across three generations. In 2018, reporting noted that potential family successors had been identified for both branches. Operators acknowledged that the restaurant was not especially lucrative and said their principal ambition was to preserve it within the family. The COVID-19 pandemic severely affected the business, with reported daily patronage falling from about 200 customers before the pandemic to approximately half that figure. More recently, redevelopment around Da-dong has created additional uncertainty because reconstruction could affect the building. Nevertheless, Yonggeumok remains active and continues to trade on culinary continuity, historical associations, and its status as a Seoul food landmark.

• 2018

  Potential family successors identified

  [1]Yonggeumoken.wikipedia.org

  Reports state that both branches have prospective successors from the founding family.

• 2017

  Chueo-tang served at the Blue House

  [1]Yonggeumoken.wikipedia.org

  Yonggeumok chueo-tang is served at a labor-related event at the presidential residence.

• 2013

  Named a Seoul Future Heritage

  [1]Yonggeumoken.wikipedia.org

  Seoul recognizes Yonggeumok as part of its Future Heritage program.

• 2007

  Second branch moves to Tongin-dong

  [1]Yonggeumoken.wikipedia.org

  The newer branch relocates from Mugyo-dong to its Tongin-dong location.

• 1997

  Second branch is established

  [1]Yonggeumoken.wikipedia.org

  A second location is opened, initially in Mugyo-dong, before later moving to Tongin-dong.

• 1982

  Management passes to the next family generation

  [1]Yonggeumoken.wikipedia.org

  After founder Hong Gi-nyeo’s death, her youngest daughter-in-law Han Jeong-ja takes over the business.

• 1960

  Original restaurant closes

  [1]Yonggeumoken.wikipedia.org

  The original location shuts because of financial hardship and redevelopment in the surrounding area.

• 1932

  Yonggeumok is founded

  [1]Yonggeumoken.wikipedia.org

  Hong Gi-nyeo establishes the restaurant in the Mugyo-dong area of Seoul.

• Recognized by the Michelin Guide

  [1]Yonggeumoken.wikipedia.org

  Yonggeumok is listed as a Bib Gourmand restaurant.

A heritage Korean restaurant preserving an uncommon Seoul-style whole-loach soup and presenting traditional working-class cuisine to local diners and visitors.

• Soup · 1932

  Seoul-style chueo-tang

  Yonggeumok’s signature dish is a spicy Seoul-style pond loach soup. The loaches are cooked whole rather than ground into a paste, with sufficiently softened bones to be eaten. The broth incorporates beef stock, red pepper flakes, tofu, tofu skin, mushrooms, noodles, and scallions. This preparation preserves a style that was historically associated with Seoul but became uncommon over time.

• Soup

  Da-dong branch chueo-tang

  The Da-dong branch serves the brand’s traditional whole-loach soup with tripe in the broth. The use of tripe is described as closer to the restaurant’s older practice and distinguishes the branch from the Tongin-dong location.

• Soup

  Tongin-dong branch chueo-tang

  The Tongin-dong branch offers a closely related version of Yonggeumok’s signature soup, using beef bones rather than the tripe associated with the Da-dong branch. The two branches otherwise maintain a substantially similar menu and culinary identity.

• 2018

  Prioritize family continuityStrategy

  Background

  The restaurant faced limited profitability and a moderate customer base despite its heritage reputation.

  Action taken

  The family identified potential successors for both branches and emphasized keeping the business operating within the family.

  Aftermath

  The succession plan supported Yonggeumok’s identity as a multigenerational restaurant, although later pandemic and redevelopment pressures remained.

  Source

• 2007

  Move the second branch to Tongin-dongStrategy

  Background

  The newer branch had operated in Mugyo-dong after its opening.

  Action taken

  The branch was relocated to Tongin-dong.

  Aftermath

  Yonggeumok established its current two-branch footprint in central Seoul.

  Source

• 1997

  Open a second branchStrategy

  Background

  The family sought to extend the restaurant’s presence while retaining its traditional menu.

  Action taken

  A second Yonggeumok branch was opened, initially in Mugyo-dong.

  Aftermath

  The branch later moved to Tongin-dong and continues to operate alongside the Da-dong location.

  Source

• 1960

  Reopen at the Da-dong site after redevelopmentStrategy

  Background

  Financial difficulties and redevelopment led to the closure of Yonggeumok’s original Mugyo-dong premises.

  Action taken

  The restaurant resumed business in a smaller hanok-style building that had previously been used as a staff resting place.

  Aftermath

  The Da-dong location became the older of the two current branches and the principal successor to the original restaurant.

  Source

1. 1Yonggeumoken.wikipedia.org