Looking for a quick cheat sheet for finding accidentally vegan items in Korea? You came to the right place. Here is a quick list of keywords and tools you need to use when reading Korean food labels. The Struggle to Shop for Vegan Food in Korea Good news! Vegan staples such as produce, rice, beans, and tofu are very easy to come by in all parts of Korea. However, products such as clearly labeled vegan meat alternatives, egg substitutes, and dairy substitutes may be harder to find depending on where you live. This is why learning how to identify accidentally vegan items can make following a vegan diet easier. Likewise, it’s always annoying to think something is vegan “because it should be” according to Western culinary traditions and then it turns out not to be in Korea. This is why if you want to eat a vegan diet in Korea, you need to be able to read the labels. This post will give you the easy-to-spot vocabulary you need to do this even if you can’t speak Korean. Checking Ingredients of Packaged Foods Let’s start with the hard part. Learning to identify Korean vocabulary for non-vegan ingredients commonly found in foods. Here are some words to look for on the ingredients list. Hangul Words for Key Ingredients You can copy and save these to your phone for later when you are at the Corner Mart or grocery shopping: Now let’s look at how we can make this easier. Using Papago to Read Labels If reading ingredients feels too hard, you can take images of the packages and use apps like Papago to read the food labels. Below you see an example of flavored mixed nuts found at a variety of stores across Korea. Can you see the non-vegan ingredients? If you can’t easily find the non-vegan ingredient, consider using an AI tool to help analyze the labels. Using ChatGPT to Analyze Labels For example, you can upload the same photo of a food label to ChatGPT and ask it to analyze if the product is vegan. Below you can see that ChatGPT can provide far more detail and specific information. As you can see, ChatGPT clearly clarifies that these flavored peanuts contain animal gelatin. This wasn’t as easy to identify with Papapgo. As you can see, it would be easy to assume mixed nuts would be vegan but they weren’t. Also, you need to read the labels of items you might assume AREN’T vegan. You might be surprised that Asia has interesting accidently vegan items like the following. An Accidentally Vegan Find: Diary-Free Whipping Cream! It is called Vegetable Whipping Cream, but it is often overlooked because the word for vegetable isn’t in English nor does it have the vegan logo anywhere. Reading Packaged Food Ingredients Additionally, you can quickly check the allergy ingredients of packaged foods there is a handy allergen box. After learning to spot these words, you’ll be able to tell if the product contains any of the common allergens that are not vegan. The image below shows the nutritional information for a box of whipping cream. We have highlighted the allergen warnings with a blue rectangle. For this brand, the allergen information indicates that it may contain soybeans. Note: The allergen warning line on some products may indicate that the product was manufactured in a facility that also processes. This is usually denoted by the words _. Certified Vegan in Korea I am happy to say that Korea does have a vegan certification agency! I recommend taking a look at their website to see what new products to keep an eye out for. (http://vegan-korea.com) This certification makes finding vegan so much easier than it used to be, but there are still a lot of products out there that aren’t certified yet or are accidentally vegan- vegan without the company necessarily intending for it to be. Good Luck! Read More Vegan Articles with South of Seoul Ginger SmithOriginally from Kentucky, Ginger moved to Korea in 2019 with her husband and their lovely pets Beanie the Shih Tzu and Chipper the childhood cat. They enjoy cycling and hiking, and finding the sometimes hidden vegan foods of Korea. While living abroad they have been blessed with twin girls who are now toddlers. Ginger studied Merchandising, Apparel, and Textiles at the University of Kentucky and is a licensed nail technician from Summit Salon Academy. Ginger has been a ghostwriter for multiple blogs and is working on one of her own. On her blog, Cottage on Pumpkin, Ginger shares about her family’s travels, crafting projects, cooking and preserving food, and DIY renovations as they build their dream house and homestead. As an author on South of Seoul, Ginger uses her decade’s worth of experience as a vegan to help others navigate the challenges that come with having dietary and lifestyle differences in Korea. cottageonpumpkin.com/

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Are you a vegan or vegetarian looking for plant-based food shopping options in South Korea? Here are the sections where I do my plant-based food shopping at AK Plaza in Pyeongtaek-si. This may help you get started on filling your kitchen. Let’s go! About AK Plaza Food Halls AK Plaza is a brand of department stores with multiple locations across South Korea. The AK Plaza featured in this article exists in Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do. The department store offers a grocery store where you can find a variety of Western food items mixed in with standard Korean groceries. It should be noted that AK Plaza tends to be more expensive than more traditional, local Korean marts. However, AK Plaza also offers a more Westernized shopping experience which may feel more comfortable to new arrivals. It’s a great place to start your plant-based shopping journey. Vegan Finds at AK Plaza Pyeongtaek Food Hall The following article provides pictures from one of my shipping trips. The images show what you might find at an AK Plaza Food Hall. This will allow you to plan for what your vegan or vegetarian pantry might be filled with. Obviously, the exact items may rotate or change over time. Additionally, different AK Plaza grocery stores may carry different times based on location or season. We all need a little help getting started in a new country. Finding the Food Hall in Pyeongtaek On the bottom floor of AK Plaza/ Pyeongtaek Station is a Food Hall that consists of a grocery store and a food court with several different food stalls and restaurants. Today we’re going to talk about some vegan items I found in the grocery store. Plant-Based Items Available for Vegetarians and Vegans Not every item in the following photos is plant-based, however, many of them are. You will need to reach the labels of each item to make sure they meet your standards. Fresh Produce When you first walk in, a large selection of produce will greet you. As plant-based food lovers, you will love trying the many new types of greens and other vegetables found in Korea. However, you may struggle with the prices of imported vegetables such as cauliflower. The fruits and vegetables at AK Plaza Food Hall are beautiful but sometimes extremely expensive and may have a lot of packaging. You can find cheaper products with less packaging in other marts but the items may not be as perfect and beautiful. Pre-made Meals After the veggies, in the tofu section, I found these pouches by Pulmuone which are like pre-made meals. I’ve tried them all before and they’re pretty tasty, especially when you need a quick meal. Just pair them with a rice cup and you’re good to go. The Spicy Garlic Bulgogi is tasty, but beware, it is spicy. There is a non-spicy one too, so be on the lookout for it if you don’t prefer spice. Dried Fruits, Nuts, and Seeds Some fruits and nuts will be expensive in South Korea, while seeds tend to be more affordable. Walnuts and peanuts grow locally so they will be the cheapest options. Pasta and Pasta Sauces Koreans love pasta so you can find a nice variety of dried pasta options in places like the AK Plaza Food Hall. Plus, plant-based eaters know that adding pasta to a vegan diet works as a versatile and satisfying shelf-stable foundational food. Generally, a good source of energy, thanks to its carbohydrate content, while also serving as a base for incorporating various vegetables, legumes, and sauces to create balanced and nutritious meals. . Seasonings and Canned Beans Miso Miso isn’t the easiest ingredient to find in Korea so it’s nice to see a couple options. Looking at the photo, I now realize that the ones in this picture ARE NOT vegan but ok for pescatarians. Some include fish dashi. It is always best to learn how to read Korean food labels. Remember that adding miso to a vegan diet introduces a savory umami flavor. Also, miso provides a good source of probiotics, essential minerals, and vitamins which can aid in digestion and contribute to overall gut health. So put some in your cart! There is vegan miso in Korea, it’s online in shops like Coupang and GMarket.   Various Fruit Spreads and Peanut Butter  Incorporating various fruit spreads and peanut butter into a vegan diet can be an affordable way to enhance flavors and textures in meals and snacks. Fruit spreads may offer a naturally sweet touch with the added benefits of vitamins and antioxidants, while peanut butter provides a rich source of protein, healthy fats, and essential nutrients like magnesium and vitamin E. You can also see they have maple syrup which is perfect for baking! Pickles, Olives, and Peppers Koreans love pickles so you may find some find new kinds to try. Adding pickles to a vegan diet can infuse a burst of flavor and zest while providing a low-calorie snack option. Plus, pickles made from cucumbers are a source of antioxidants, Vitamin K, and beneficial probiotics, which can aid in digestion and promote a healthy gut microbiome. Chocolates! My purchase of the day was these Chocodates. I got the variety pack so I could try them all, but my favorite was the coconut. Of course, Integrating dark chocolate into a vegan diet can offer a delightful treat that is rich in antioxidants. This may contribute to improved heart health, reduced inflammation, and enhanced mood. Just make sure to read those labels! You can use Papago or Google Translate to make label reading easier. Ghirardelli 72% is accidentally vegan, and my favorite! Vegan Ramen I can’t pitch ramen as having health benefits, but it sure is delicious. If you add enough fresh veggies it certainly will give your body what it needs to flourish. Various Non-Perishable Pantry Items An organic section of flour can be seen below. There might not be the same amount of diversity in flour in South Korea, but stores are slowly expanding. The grocery store at AK Plaza provides what a person living along might need in their kitchen. Cooking and Dipping Oils Oils range from plain vegetable and oil to more gourmet flavored oils. Oils tend to be an important part of plant-based diets so vegans and vegetarians might want to grab a few of these when they arrive. Frozen Foods PlanTable, a popular vegan brand in Korea, offers dumplings and rice balls. Two flavors of dumplings and two flavors of rice balls. All of them are good, but I highly recommend the bibimbap rice balls. Yum! Milk Alternatives The AK Plaza Food Hall grocery store offers almond, oat, and soy milk. There are also more options on a shelf near the refrigerator. Make sure to check that the nut and soy milk don’t have milk added. In South Korea, soy drink companies traditionally added some animal milk to their soy milk and nut milk. Just double-check if they aren’t labeled vegan. Porridge For the newcomers, Sweet Pumpkin Porridge and Sweet Red Bean Porridge is almost always vegan. Be sure to check the ingredients, just in case, but these are good for quick meals. Baby Food They also have a section of baby foods including some purée pouches and lots of baby rice snacks. As always, double-check the ingredients/ allergen box, but most of these are vegan-friendly. The rice snacks are great for teething little ones. South of Seoul Planted-Based Living Initiative Through our plant-based living initiative for South Korea, our volunteers seek to enhance access, education, and support for English-speaking international residents in South Korea. We strive to create actionable and detailed information that allows non-Korean speakers ever-improving access to a wider range of plant-based resources, products, and information. We hope that we can demystify plant-based choices in South Korea, promote sustainable practices, and nurture a supportive community to inspire positive change for a healthier and greener future. You can read more plant-based living articles here: Where Does Our Information Come From? The plant-based information provided in our articles comes from international residents living in South Korea. Community members volunteer their time to document their experiences and resources so that those who come next can settle in more smoothly. Our authors may be vegan, vegetarian, or simply plant-based food lovers. Together, they work as a team to improve access. Ginger SmithOriginally from Kentucky, Ginger moved to Korea in 2019 with her husband and their lovely pets Beanie the Shih Tzu and Chipper the childhood cat. They enjoy cycling and hiking, and finding the sometimes hidden vegan foods of Korea. While living abroad they have been blessed with twin girls who are now toddlers. Ginger studied Merchandising, Apparel, and Textiles at the University of Kentucky and is a licensed nail technician from Summit Salon Academy. Ginger has been a ghostwriter for multiple blogs and is working on one of her own. On her blog, Cottage on Pumpkin, Ginger shares about her family’s travels, crafting projects, cooking and preserving food, and DIY renovations as they build their dream house and homestead. As an author on South of Seoul, Ginger uses her decade’s worth of experience as a vegan to help others navigate the challenges that come with having dietary and lifestyle differences in Korea. cottageonpumpkin.com/

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