Why I Gained Weight in Korea: How Korean Food Stole My Heart

 Before I moved to Korea, I honestly believed that Korean food (K-food) was all about being “too spicy, too sweet, too mysterious.”

I only knew it from YouTube:

• People crying while eating fire noodles (buldak ramyeon)

• Bright red tteokbokki boiling in huge pans

• Mountains of kimchi on the table

So on the plane to Seoul, I was nervous and kept thinking:

“What am I going to eat there every day?”

A few months later, my question completely changed:

“How did I gain this much weight so fast…?”

This blog post is my honest (and delicious) explanation of
why I gained weight in Korea — and why I don’t really regret it.

1. First Taste of Korean Food: “This Feels Like Home-Cooked Food”

In my first week in Korea, a Korean friend took me to a small local restaurant.
My first proper Korean dish was kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew).

The soup was red.
It was boiling in a hot stone pot.
I saw kimchi, pork, tofu, and green onions.

To be honest, it looked scary at first.
I expected it to be extremely spicy.

But the moment I took the first spoonful, I was surprised.

“Wait… this feels like home-cooked food.”

Yes, it was spicy.
But it wasn’t just “painfully spicy.”

It felt:

• Warm

• Comforting

• Familiar in a strange way

It reminded me of the kind of home-style food people cook when they care about you.

That’s when I realized:

Korean cuisine isn’t just “strong flavor food.”
It’s comfort food — like home meals (집밥 / jib-bap) with a Korean twist.

And that’s exactly where my weight-gain journey began.

2. Tteokbokki & Korean Street Food: Enemy of Every Diet

If I had to pick the number one reason I gained weight in Korea,
I’d say it with no hesitation:

Tteokbokki and Korean street food.

Everywhere I went — near schools, subway stations, and busy streets —
there was always something tempting:

• Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes)

• Twigim (Korean-style fritters)

• Sundae (Korean blood sausage)

• Eomuk (fish cake skewers)

• Hotteok (sweet stuffed pancakes)

• Korean street toast

• Grilled skewers

I often told myself:

“I’m just going to walk past and not buy anything today.”

Five minutes later, I was holding a paper cup full of tteokbokki and fried snacks.

Tteokbokki is the perfect example of Korean flavor balance:

• Spicy

• Sweet

• A bit salty

• Chewy texture

It’s the kind of food you can’t stop eating, even when you’re full.

So if you’re wondering:

“Why do foreigners gain weight in Korea?”

A big part of the answer is simple:

Because Korean street food is impossible to resist.

3. Stews, Soups, and Samgyetang: The Land of Comforting Broths

One of the things I love most about Korean cuisine is the insane variety of soups and stews.

Here are just a few:

• Kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew)

• Doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew)

• Sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew)

• Budae jjigae (army stew)

• Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup)

• Seolleongtang (ox bone soup)

• Gamjatang (pork bone & potato soup)

Whenever I asked myself, “What should I eat today?”
Korea always had a warm bowl of something ready for me.

• Cold and rainy day? → Jjigae or soup.

• Tired body? → Samgyetang or gukbap (soup with rice).

The problem is:
soup in Korea is almost always served with rice.

And not just one bowl of rice.

Sometimes I finished my rice,
felt a bit shy about asking for more…
and then the staff would kindly bring more anyway.

Warm soup + unlimited rice = slow but guaranteed weight gain.

But again, it didn’t feel like “just calories.”

It felt like my body and soul were both being fed.

4. Sweet, Spicy, Salty: The Most Dangerous Flavor Combination

The biggest reason Korean food is so addictive is the complex flavor combinations.

It’s rarely just “one-note.”
A single dish can be:

• Spicy and sweet

• Salty and slightly sugary

• Rich and fresh at the same time

Examples:

• Tteokbokki → spicy + sweet

• Yangnyeom chicken (Korean fried chicken with sauce) → crispy + sweet + spicy

• Yangnyeom galbi (marinated ribs) → savory + sweet

• Bibimbap → fresh vegetables + sesame oil + spicy gochujang

From a dieter’s perspective, this is dangerous.

“If the food is this interesting and flavorful,
how am I supposed to stop after one plate?”

And let’s not forget the banchan (side dishes).

You don’t just eat:

• One main dish and one side.

You eat:

• Rice

• Main dish

• Plus 4–10 side dishes on the table

Every meal feels like a mini buffet.

No wonder my jeans slowly started to feel tighter.

5. 24-Hour Convenience Stores & Food Delivery in Korea

If Korean food itself doesn’t make you gain weight,
the Korean food system definitely will.

Two keywords:

• 24-hour convenience stores

• Super fast food delivery culture

At 11 p.m., in many countries,
you have two choices:

• Eat what’s left at home

• Or just sleep hungry

In Korea, at 11 p.m., you have too many choices:

1. Walk to the nearest convenience store (편의점) and get:

   • Cup noodles

   • Gimbap

   • Ready-made meals

   • Snacks

2. Open a delivery app and order:

   • Korean fried chicken

   • Tteokbokki

   • Pizza

   • Korean-Chinese food

   • Burgers

   • Even late-night barbecue

All available until very late,
often with fast delivery and low minimum order.

So yes:

Why I gained weight in Korea?
Because Korea makes it almost impossible to stay hungry.

The country is designed to feed you, anytime, anywhere.

6. I Gained Weight in Korea, But I Don’t Regret It

Yes, I really did gain weight after moving to Korea.
My clothes got tighter.
The number on the scale went up.

But that extra weight came with something else:

• Memories of sharing samgyeopsal (Korean BBQ) with friends

• The sound of rain while eating kimchi jeon (kimchi pancake)

• The warmth of gukbap on a freezing winter day

• My shocked face the first time I tried buldak ramyeon

• Late-night convenience store runs that made me feel less alone

So to me, this “Korean weight” is not just fat.
It’s a collection of moments that made me fall in love with Korean culture and Korean food.

Why I Gained Weight in Korea
Because Korean food made me feel at home.

And honestly,

that’s a pretty beautiful reason to gain a few kilos.

Practical Tips for First-Time Visitors to Korea (From a Foreigners’ Perspective)

If you’re planning your first trip to Korea and you’re curious (or worried) about Korean food,
here are some tips based on my real experience.

1. Be Honest About Your Spice Level

Korean people generally handle spicy food very well.
So when they say “a little spicy,” it might be really spicy for you.

Useful phrases to learn:

• “I can’t eat very spicy food.”

• “Please make it less spicy.”

If you want, you can also say it in Korean:

• 매운 거 잘 못 먹어요. (Maeun geo jal mot meogeoyo.)

• 덜 맵게 해 주세요. (Deol maepge hae juseyo.)

It can save your tongue — and your stomach.

2. Enjoy the Free Side Dishes, But Don’t Waste Too Much

In Korean restaurants, you often get free side dishes (banchan).
You can usually ask for refills at no extra cost.

However, ordering too much and leaving a lot of food is not considered polite.

So:

• Try a small amount first

• Ask for refills only when you’re sure you’ll eat it

This way you can enjoy Korean food culture respectfully.

3. Try Many Korean Street Foods, But Share When You Can

Korean street food is amazing, but it’s also heavy and filling.

Instead of eating a full portion of everything by yourself:

• Share with friends

• Buy one portion and split it

• Try a few bites of different foods

That way, you can taste more dishes without exploding or regretting it later.

4. Visit a Convenience Store at Least Once Like a Local

Korean convenience stores are a big part of modern Korean food culture.

Try:

• Triangle kimbap (삼각김밥)

• Cup noodles

• Simple lunch boxes

• Korean snacks and drinks

One “convenience store meal day” during your trip can be a fun and unique experience.

5. Get Used to Sharing Dishes

In many Korean restaurants, you share:

• One big stew in the middle

• A plate of meat for everyone

• A basket of fried chicken

At first, this might feel unusual if you’re used to individual plates.
But sharing dishes allows you to try more flavors in one meal.

And honestly,

food tastes better when you eat it together.

6. Don’t Try to Understand Everything — Just Enjoy the Experience

Korean food can be complex:

• You might not know every ingredient

• You might not understand every flavor

• The sauces may taste new and confusing

That’s okay.

Instead of trying to analyze every bite,
just ask yourself:

• “Do I like this?”

• “What does it remind me of?”

• “What do I want to try next?”

The best way to experience Korean cuisine is to stay curious,
stay open-minded,

and enjoy the journey — even if you gain a little weight along the way.