Hampyeong Hanwoo Saenggogi
KoreaSouth Jeolla · HampyeongHampyeong Hanwoo Saenggogi: Same-Day Raw Beef From a 120-Year-Old Cattle Market Town
Hampyeong in South Jeolla is famous for its cattle market. Here is the market that opened with the town's five-day market in 1903, the saying that Hampyeong's cattle trading set prices for the whole province, the local culture of eating freshly slaughtered hanwoo raw, what a market-side meal looks like, and what to know before you try it.
Hampyeong, Cattle Country
Hampyeong in South Jeolla is widely known for its butterfly festival, but for locals the town's long-standing pride is cattle. Hampyeong is home to the Hampyeong Cattle Market, the province's leading livestock market, and the hanwoo (Korean native beef cattle) traded there are sold under the regional brand "Hampyeong Cheonji Hanwoo." According to a 2022 report, Hampyeong calves often fetch hundreds of thousands of won more than ordinary calves, and there was even a saying that Hampyeong's big cattle market set cattle prices for all of South Jeolla. Wherever cattle gather, beef dishes tend to flourish. In Hampyeong, the signature is saenggogi, fresh hanwoo slaughtered that day and sliced to be eaten raw. This story focuses on how Hampyeong became cattle country and the raw beef culture that grew out of it.
A Cattle Market Since 1903
According to a 2022 report, the Hampyeong Cattle Market opened in 1903 together with Hampyeong's five-day market, held on dates ending in 2 and 7, so it has been running for more than 120 years. In other words, cattle trading began alongside the market days that drew people from all around. The market has changed with the times. In 2017 it was rebuilt in Hakgyo-myeon, Hampyeong, for 2.3 billion won, with automated disinfection facilities and an electronic auction system, and it is now said to be held every Tuesday. In 2020, 10,114 head of hanwoo were traded there, the most of any of South Jeolla's 15 livestock markets. In 2008 Hampyeong also became the first place in Korea designated a special zone for the hanwoo industry.
What Is Saenggogi?
In Jeolla, saenggogi means beef from a freshly slaughtered animal, sliced and eaten raw. The same dish goes by different names across Korea: according to a 2023 Segye Ilbo article, it is called yuk-sashimi in Seoul and the capital area, saenggogi in Jeolla and Gwangju, makjjikgi in Ulsan, and mungtigi in Gyeongsang, from a dialect word for cutting in thick chunks. Freshness is everything, so beef slaughtered that same day is normally used. Unlike yukhoe, which is finely julienned and tossed with pear, sesame oil and seasoning, saenggogi is basically thick slices of beef dipped in sauce. In Hampyeong, lean round (udun) is said to be the cut of choice. Restaurants in Hampyeong reportedly buy hanwoo slaughtered that very day early each morning, a dish made possible by having the cattle market and abattoir close at hand.
A Raw Beef Meal by the Market
The menu item that made Hampyeong's raw beef famous is a bowl of warm rice topped with saenggogi and mixed together. A 2022 report says it began with selling beef from cattle slaughtered at the market on top of rice. Still, the real star in Hampyeong is the beef rather than the bowl. What decides the flavor is a seasoning of chili powder, minced garlic and salted shrimp aged for a long time instead of gochujang, which is said to bring out the beef's sweetness. The table comes with seonji-guk (ox blood soup) made with beef bone broth and a dozen or so vegetables, and some places reportedly add boiled pork fat on the side. True to its roots as market food that quickly filled hungry stomachs on market day, the spread is simple. You can also order a plate of raw beef on its own, dip it in sauce, and put the leftovers on your rice.
Good to Know, and Travel Tips
Since saenggogi is raw meat, choose a busy restaurant with good hygiene. If you are not used to raw meat, or if you are pregnant, a child or have a weakened immune system, don't push it; choose cooked hanwoo dishes instead. Hampyeong hanwoo is also enjoyed grilled, as bulgogi or in gomtang (beef bone soup). Restaurants serving raw beef cluster around the market in Hampyeong town, and in 2014 the food street there was selected for a government program to promote themed food streets for tourism. The Hampyeong Butterfly Festival has been held in spring and a chrysanthemum festival around Hampyeong Expo Park in autumn, so check Hampyeong County's information for festival dates and cattle market days. The cattle market is a working trading floor, so if you visit, take care not to get in the way of the animals or the trading.