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A combo meal at Rice Concert, a restaurant specializing in jumeokgbap (rice balls) in Gwangju’s Dong (East) District. (provided by the city of Gwangju)

Jumeokbap (rice balls), a symbolic dish representing the May 1980 Democratization Movement, is available at five restaurants in Gwangju. The food, which was made and shared by citizens resisting martial law forces at the time, is seen as symbolizing a spirit of togetherness. The city of Gwangju is also soliciting advice from food experts in a focused jumeokbap commercialization push.

The first of the jumeokbap restaurants is Rice Concert in the Gwangsan neighborhood of Gwangju’s Dong (East) District. The restaurant’s location is around 200m away from the site of the former South Jeolla Provincial Office (now the Asia Culture Center), which served as a citizen militia base during the Democratization Movement in May 1980. Rice Concert, which opened its doors early this month, offers a menu featuring 16 varieties of jumeokbap, including Mt. Mudeung herb, flower, and pork cutlet.

A jumeokbap boxed lunch at Mom’s Cook in Gwangju’s Dongmyeong neighborhood

The leading menu item is the jumeokbap combo meal, which sells for 5,180 won (US$4.36). The combo includes two varieties of jumeokbap along with fried lettuce, noodles/stir-fried rice cakes, and two side dishes. Rice Concert decided the set price of 5,180 won to reflect the symbolic aspects of the May 1980 Democratization Movement.

A jumeokbap meal at Happy Yangnim in Gwangju’s Nam (South) District

“People who’ve come to the restaurant and tasted our jumeokbap have called it ‘unique,’ ‘attractively shaped,’ and ‘delicious,’” said Rice Concert owner Kwon Yeong-deok. “For a little over 5,000 won, you can enjoy your choice of jumeokbap.”

The city of Gwangju provided support to cover Rice Concert’s sign and internal remodeling after its selection as a jumeokbap specialist in bidding last October. Within the restaurant, visitors can find a webtoon sharing the origins of May 18 jumeokbap. A food safety official for the city said, “We focused on the flavor, developing a sharing jumeokbap recipes in consultation with food experts, and we decorated it so that young people can come and take pictures.”

The interior of Rice Concert. (provided by the city of Gwangju)

Four other Gwangju restaurants are selling Gwangju jumeokbap alongside other items. The symbolic May 1980 jumeokbap can also be enjoyed at Mom’s Cook in the Dongmyeong neighborhood, Dong (East) District; Happy Yangnim in Yangnim, Nam (South) District; Dareuda (Different) in Jipyeong, Seo (West) District; and Gwangju Jumeokbap/Five-Colored Noodles near the Gwangju Songjeong KTX station.

By Jung Dae-ha, Gwangju correspondent

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