The Snackpacker’s Guide: 9 things to buy from South Korean snack paradise Lotte Mart

Snacks from South Korean hypermarket chain Lotte Mart. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

Vanitha Maniarasu

UPDATED Jun 09, 2025, 05:21 PM

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SEOUL – Sharing top spot on many South Korean itineraries these days are saunas, skincare clinics and shopping in Lotte Mart – walking down aisles of the hypermarket chain filling up at taste-testing counters. 

From flavoured ramen to zero-sugar gummies, South Korea is exporting copious amounts of snacks worldwide, selling them on e-commerce marketplaces such as Amazon and Shopee. But buying them in their country of origin means savings of up to 50 per cent and more unique flavours.

For instance, a 75g pack of corn snack Banana Kick costs 1,360 won (S$1.30) at Lotte Mart, compared with $2.40 on Shopee.

Lotte Mart Zettaplex at Seoul Station has an Express Mail Service counter, where shoppers can pack snacks into boxes to ship overseas. ST PHOTO: VANITHA MANIARASU

Larger outlets of the chain – including Lotte Mart Zettaplex at Seoul Station – offer Express Mail Service to selected countries, so travellers do not have to lug their bulk buys home. You can also claim tax refunds on purchases above 15,000 won.

On a trip to Seoul in April, a friend and I shopped for two hours at Lotte Mart and took home duffel bags full of snacks . Another friend shipped home a couple of boxes filled with tidbits and drinks for family and friends.

If you are planning a trip to South Korea, here are nine snacks I recommend.

Murgerbon Coffee Peanut Popcorn (2,990 won a packet)

Murgerbon’s new popcorn flavours. ST PHOTO: VANITHA MANIARASU

While Murgerbon’s Honey Butter Corn snack might have lost the popularity battle with HBAF’s honey butter almonds, it is back with a new contender – coffee peanut popcorn.

Murgerbon has reimagined its iconic product, a coffee peanut snack from 1986, into popcorn that is a hit with the younger generation. A Lotte Mart employee tells me the chain restocks this snack multiple times a day to cater to tourists.

The soccer ball-shaped popcorn kernels have a sweet coffee flavour and a tinge of peanut from peanut powder. I took home a few packets and they vanished rapidly on Netflix nights. Murgerbon also has other flavours, such as cheddar cheese and butter garlic and onion, in both regular and jumbo packets. 

Market O Brownies (5,280 won a box)

Market O Brownies jumped on the matcha bandwagon. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

Market O Brownies have been on the market for some time – I recall buying boxes to take home from my 2018 trip to Seoul. Known for their fudgy bite, the brownies remain popular souvenirs from the South Korean capital.

While it feels like the individually packed square bites may have shrunk a bit, the brand has retained its reputation by keeping up with trends. 

It has two new flavours – matcha and cream cheese. Both have been selling out all over Seoul. The matcha brownie, on the bitter side, will please matcha lovers, while the cream cheese brownie, with a layer of cheese atop the original chocolate flavour, is decadent. 

Zero sugar-free jelly (5,580 won a packet)

Zero sugar-free jellies and chocolate. ST PHOTO: VANITHA MANIARASU

In South Korea’s image-conscious society, food labelled zero sugar or zero calories seems to have taken a firm hold in the food-and-beverage market. 

Lotte’s Zero sugar-free peach and kiwi jelly, sweetened by sugar substitute maltitol, is the flavour of the week. Popular among Gen Z and millennials, it is a viable alternative to candy . Some users on TikTok and online South Korean forums say munching on the jelly helps manage their anxiety without sugar spikes. 

Each mini pack contains about 10 jellies. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

It has a gummy texture, and peach and kiwi is a unique flavour combination that has helped me stave off afternoon lethargy . I foresee the flavour being adapted into milkshakes or cakes.

Binch cookies (5,280 won a box)

Individually wrapped Binch cookies. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

Binch , short for “biscuit and chocolate”, is on the sweeter side and much creamier than I expected. It is crunchy and delicious as an after-meal snack. 

As a lover of chocolate chip cookies, I would describe this as an elevated take. The perfect balance of milk chocolate and biscuit in every bite makes it an indulgent snack. The chocolate coating is not too sweet and allows for a second helping .

With an approximately 1:1 chocolate to cookie ratio, these cookies would be great for making s’mores – sandwich a couple of marshmallows between two cookies and heat them gently for a decadent, do-it-yourself treat.

Banana Kick (1,360 won a packet)

Banana Kick snack. ST PHOTO: VANITHA MANIARASU

Banana Kick is a banana-flavoured corn snack with a distinct sweet taste, almost like melt-in-your-mouth banana milk.

The long and cylindrical snacks, which some say resemble bananas, have a similar texture and puffiness to Japan’s Tohato Caramel corn puffs. Their lightness makes them addictive and I almost finish a pack in one sitting. 

Long a family favourite in South Korea, the snack went viral in March after Jennie of K-pop girl group Blackpink said on The Jennifer Hudson Show that Banana Kick was her favourite childhood snack.

The packaging also describes various ways to indulge in the snack, such as using it as a milkshake or ice cream topping. I tried crumbling it over cookie dough ice cream and it was definitely a winner.

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BTS-themed snacks and beverages

Damtuh Kombucha TinyTan BTS edition. ST PHOTO: VANITHA MANIARASU

As South Korea gears up to welcome its beloved boy band back from military service later in June , anything remotely related to the septet has been selling out locally and internationally. Apart from brand ambassadorships such as band member Jin fronting Jin Ramen, other collaborations with BTS, such as the cartoon characters BT21 and the TinyTan figures, have been snatched up by fans and tourists alike. 

Popular among fans are HBAF nuts featuring the BT21 characters, with new flavours such as matcha almond and hot spicy chicken. The savoury chicken almonds taste like a crunchier twist on chicken skin snacks, with a strong aftertaste that left me wanting more. As for the matcha, a colleague mentioned she would prefer the flavour as a drink .

Another popular product is the Damtuh Kombucha TinyTan BTS Edition, which comes in fruity flavours such as lime, lemon and grapefruit. With less than 1g sugar, it is part of the zero-sugar trend.

It comes in powdered sachets and has the internet split on whether dehydrating the fermented drink into powder retains the health benefits of kombucha, which is said to support gut health and aid digestion.

I tried the grapefruit flavour, which is refreshingly sweet . Compared with regular kombucha, the powdered sachets have a weaker fizz and do not have a funky aftertaste from fermentation – I could not have guessed I was drinking kombucha. 

Green grape candy (4,190 won a packet)

Green grape candy tastes like a lollipop. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

Green grape candy, resembling tiny footballs, has gone viral on TikTok . While shopping, I saw many young travellers fill their baskets with multiple packets of the hard candy.

As more snacks emerge in new-fangled flavours, the grape-flavoured candy seems to bring consumers back to a simpler time. It tastes and feels like a grape lollipop, and makes a good mid-day pick-me-up.

Yakgwa (8,500 won for a pack of 10)

Yakgwa, a deep-fried wheat flour and honey dessert, is chewy. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

When actor Lee Jae-wook’s character kept asking for his favourite snack, yakgwa, in K-drama Alchemy Of Souls (2022 to 2023) , it propelled the traditional Korean snack to international attention.

Made largely of wheat flour and honey, the deep-fried dessert is sticky and slightly chewy, and has an aftertaste of cinnamon or ginger, depending on the South Korean region it comes from.

The “yak” in yakgwa means “medicine”, as South Koreans believe honey has the power to heal and restore. Yakgwa was usually reserved for celebratory occasions such as anniversaries or Chuseok, the South Korean thanksgiving/mid-autumn festival. Today, it is more commonly eaten as dessert and can be purchased from traditional markets, convenience stores and artisanal bakeries.

Salt bread (1,700 won a packet)

Salt bread strikes a good balance of sweet and savoury. PHOTO: LOTTE MART

Salt bread is a recent hit in Seoul, with foodies queueing for it at shops such as Soha Salt Pond cafe in Ikseondong and Jayeondo Salt Bread in Seongsu.

In snack form, the croissant-shaped crispy breads are salty with a sweet aftertaste. Popular snack brand Nongshim also carries the snack in flavours such as chocolate and raspberry.  

The Snackpacker’s Guide is a series that helps you curate your next overseas snack haul. For more travel stories, go to str.sg/travel

Vanitha Maniarasu is an audience growth specialist with The Straits Times.

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