Traditional patbingsu from Samcheong Bingsu in Seoul, July 11, 2023 (Photo by Saul Latham)

Korea’s stifling, sticky summer heat, paired with the nation’s famous ppalli ppalli (hurry, hurry) culture, cries out for an opportunity to enjoy an icy sweet dessert and good company. That’s where bingsu, Korea’s popular shaved ice dessert, comes to the rescue. 

Stores specializing in the dessert have become commonplace, and during summer, bingsu pops up on cafe, bakery and restaurant menus across the country. Together, these places provide chill-out zones for the young and old, the rich and poor. Once bingsu was a simple, not-so-sweet luxury that was only available to those few who could afford ice. Now it is the people’s dessert offering a wonderful variety of sweet choices. 

Bingsu is a totem of Korean heritage and past legacies with historical roots reaching into the Joseon Dynasty. While modern bingsu is thought to have been brought in by Japan during the 1910-1945 colonial period, Korea’s take on this shaved ice in the 21st century is highly popular across Asia. 

Up upon a stone wall, a little to the north and east of Seoul’s Gyeongbokgung Palace, sits Samcheong Bingsu, a modern bingsu cafe housed in traditional hanok building. Besides classic patbingsu (red bean paste with shaved ice), the cafe also offers black sesame, green tea, a host of fruit-based varieties and even a coffee bingsu.  

“The traditional bingsu and the grapefruit bingsu are the most popular here,” says Lee Se-jung of Samcheong Bingsoo.  

Samcheong Bingsu is northeast of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, July 11, 2023. (Photo by Saul Latham)

Even on a dark, rainy day, customers at Samcheong Bingsu are on a high. “We enjoy choosing the bingsu and sharing it together,” says Park Mi-young while enjoying the popular grapefruit bingsu with her friends. “When we eat bingsu together, we don’t feel stressed. We can enjoy our time.” 

The South Korean phrase ppalli-ppalli encapsulates the nation's spirit of efficiency and will to get on with things. Could it be then, that the humble bingsu is an antidote to the heat of ppalli-ppalli living? 

We put the question to Yoo Suk-ja, owner of Haenggung Bingsu, a popular specialty cafe just within the walls of the Hwaseong Haenggung, a Joseon-era fortress in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do Province.  

Haenggung Bingsu sits behind the Joseon-era fortress wall in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do Province, July 12, 2023. (Photo by Saul Latham)

"No, bingsu is not an antidote to ppalli-ppalli. Bingsu is also ppalli-ppalli because it's melting so you have to eat it fast," she said laughing in the garden courtyard of her cafe. 

In front of her house, the bingsu cafe has been running for about five years. 

A persimmon tree in the courtyard provides the fruit for their winter bingsu. A building at the property’s rear houses Yoo's remarkable master embroidery work on display to all visitors. 

"When I started the cafe, I recalled the bingsu from my youth and that's why our patbingsu has a lot of red beans and is very simple," Yoo said of her product.  

Yoo Suk-ja, owner of Haenggung Bingsu, sits in front of a display of her master embroidery works in her studio right behind her café in Suwon, July 12, 2023. (Photo by Saul Latham)

Nowadays, bingsu moves with the times, concurrent with the reinventive dynamism of K-culture and much of Korea. Vibrant mixes of summer fruits and exotic ingredients cross paths on this canvas of white shaved ice that has become a symbol of purity and renewal.  

Pastry chef Ji Hye-sun has seen the change. "When I was younger, we got bingsu from the bakery and it was mostly milk ice, rice cake and jelly,” she said. “More recently bingsu specialty stores have opened up and the style now incorporates a variety of fruit." 

Bingsu, a dessert shared between two or more people in true Korean style, provides the basis for coming together and sharing life's sweet moments. Akin to gathering around a fire, the ice dish draws people to it and encourages them to tell stories, reflect and celebrate.  

A space for reinvention and evolution, this sweet institution still retains the threads of Korean history. And then again, it is a much needed cool down from the humidity and high temperatures of summer. 

"Summer is too hot in Korea,” says Ji tasting a mango bingsu. “So, people cool down with bingsu. In winter, it is rarely eaten. So, franchises have branched out to become more like dessert cafes suitable for colder months." 

Bingsu chains such as Sulbing, which has almost 500 stores nationwide, continue to expand with seasonal variations on the dessert. High-end hotels make their mark with exorbitantly priced versions. And the dedicated mastery of Dangok, in Gangnam, and many other independent producers, will continue to serve the chillout we all need at some point. 

If bingsu teaches us a lesson, it's that we must get on with enjoying our time together quickly. Chill out while you can.