Padak topped with shredded scallions · Photo: Choi2451 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
KoreaSejongJochiwon Padak: The Scallion-Piled Fried Chicken Said to Have Started in a Market Chicken Shop
Padak, crispy fried chicken buried under a pile of finely shredded scallions, is now sold all over Korea, but Jochiwon-eup in Sejong claims to be where it began. Here is the old market chicken-shop scene, the story of how padak came about, and how to enjoy it in Jochiwon today.
What Is Padak?
Padak, a blend of pa (scallion) and dak (chicken), is exactly what the name says: fried chicken piled high with finely shredded scallions. The chicken is seasoned with salt, pepper and minced garlic before frying, then served with the scallions and a sweet-and-sour or soy-based sauce. The heat of the chicken wilts the scallions slightly, softening their bite while releasing their aroma, and the freshness cuts the richness of the fried coating. It is now a standard menu item at fried chicken shops and franchises across Korea, but Jochiwon-eup in Sejong claims padak started in its traditional market. At the Sejong Hangeul Festival in October 2026, a "Sejong Padak" event was even held to promote the city as padak's place of origin.
The Chicken Shops at the Market's North Entrance
At the north entrance of Jochiwon's old traditional market, there was once a row of chicken shops that sold live birds and fried them on the spot. In the 1960s and 70s each shop kept a coop, and the bird a customer chose was slaughtered and fried whole in a cauldron of oil, so waiting 30 to 40 minutes after ordering was normal. There is no record of exactly when the market began selling fried chicken, but as in many markets across Korea, cauldron-fried whole chicken seems to have been part of Jochiwon's market days for a long time. Even now, a shop in the middle of the market fries whole chickens in a way close to the old method, and styles vary from shop to shop, from chicken fried with no batter at all to chicken in a thick coating.
How Did Padak Come About?
A 2024 column in a regional newspaper gave a detailed account of padak's origins. A man working as a cook at a construction site in the Middle East heard local workers say his fried chicken was too greasy, thought of the sharpness of scallions, and found that shredded scallions on top of the hot chicken went down well. According to the column, padak began when he returned to Korea in 1980 and started making it this way in Jochiwon's traditional market. Back then, the seasoned chicken was fried, wrapped in newspaper with the shredded scallions and put in a plastic bag, and by the time customers unwrapped it at home, the scallion aroma had soaked into the chicken. At first it was not even called padak, just tongdak (whole chicken). Several shops in Jochiwon claim to be the original, however, so accounts of who came first differ.
Spreading Nationwide Through University Word of Mouth
Word of mouth among students at nearby universities is said to have played a big role in spreading Jochiwon padak. When university campuses opened around Jochiwon in the early 1980s, students took to the market's padak, and in the mid-to-late 2000s regional padak brands moved into university districts in Seoul and elsewhere. By the 2020s it was common enough that most major fried chicken brands had padak on the menu. Jochiwon is still known for having a lot of chicken shops. According to the regional newspaper column, Jochiwon-eup has 124 of them, the second-highest number in the country at the neighbourhood level. Volatile scallion prices once dampened padak's popularity and led to more onion-topped versions, but in Jochiwon padak remains the signature food.
How to Enjoy Padak in Jochiwon
Padak is best eaten right away: spread the scallions and sauce over the chicken and dig in once the heat has wilted the scallions slightly. Dipping pieces in sauce as you go, rather than pouring it all over at once, keeps the coating crisp. If you love the scallion aroma, ask for extra. Many people enjoy it as chimaek, chicken with beer. Padak shops cluster in the old downtown near Jochiwon Station and around Sejong Traditional Market. Market shops fry big whole chickens that many customers take away, and since batter thickness and sauces differ from shop to shop, comparing two or three is part of the fun. You can also enjoy padak with beer at the evening programme of the summer Jochiwon Peach Festival, so visiting in peach season lets you taste two of Sejong's specialties at once.