Convenience-store treats

Late-Night Convenience Store Food: Mark-jeongshik & Hangover Soups

This is a different aisle from the ice cream and snack case -- the late-night meal section is worth knowing where to look for specifically.

REVIEWED AUG 28, 2026 · VERIFY LIVE RULES BEFORE TRAVEL
Tip: Most large branches have a microwave and an in-store seating counter -- ask staff "jeonja-rein-ji doe-yo?" (is there a microwave?) if you don't see one immediately.
Late-Night Convenience Store Food: Mark-jeongshik & Hangover Soups — Korea travel photo
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

What these late-night items actually are

Mark-jeongshik (a play on "cheap set meal") is convenience-store shorthand for a packaged tray meal -- usually rice, a protein like sausage or bulgogi, and a couple of side dishes -- designed to be microwaved and eaten on the spot for a fraction of a restaurant price. Instant haejangguk (hangover soup) comes as a retort-pouch or cup product, often based on gukbap-style beef and vegetable broth or spicy seafood broth, meant to be heated and eaten quickly after a night out. Both categories exist specifically because Korea's convenience-store culture runs 24 hours and caters heavily to shift workers and late-night drinkers, not just tourists browsing snacks.

Where to find them in-store

  • Look near the refrigerated meal-tray section, usually separate from the ice cream freezers and the chip aisle.
  • Instant soup cups and pouches are typically shelved near instant noodles rather than with drinks.
  • Larger CU, GS25 and 7-Eleven branches near nightlife districts (Hongdae, Itaewon, Gangnam) stock a wider late-night selection than small residential branches.

How to prepare and eat one properly

Staff will usually offer to heat a tray meal for you at checkout if you haven't already used the self-service microwave.

  1. Buy the tray or soup first, then either hand it to staff to microwave or use the self-service station near the seating counter.
  2. Grab disposable chopsticks and a spoon from the counter dispenser -- these aren't always included with the packaging.
  3. Eat at the in-store counter if one exists; taking a hot tray meal back to a hotel loses most of the appeal since it's built to be eaten immediately.

Pricing for both categories stays well below restaurant delivery, typically a few thousand won per item, which is part of why they're such a fixture of Korea's late-night culture. If a branch is out of your first choice, most stock several tray-meal and soup variations side by side, so a second option is usually within reach.

Official sources

Time-sensitive details were checked against the original sources below on 2026-08-28.