Sungsimdang Bakery: A Broken-Down Train Put It in Daejeon, and Every Branch Is Still There
The most famous bakery in Daejeon is there because a train broke down. The family on board was trying to get to Seoul, and seventy years later the bakery still has not followed them there.
Sungsimdang bakery is a reason people ride the KTX to Daejeon, and the company's own history says so. This piece covers where the bakery came from, why every branch on its own list is in one city, what to buy beyond the famous fried bun, and which of the branches fits your day, using the company's own history and store pages rather than guesswork.
The bakery is in Daejeon because the train stopped there
The founders, Im Gil-soon and Han Soon-deok, came from Hamju in South Hamgyong, in what is now North Korea. In December 1950 they left from Hungnam on the Meredith Victory, the last ship out in the evacuation, and after a stay on Geoje Island the family settled in Jinhae on the south coast.
Some years later they set off by train to move to Seoul. The company's own account says the train broke down at Daejeon, and instead of waiting to see when it would leave, the family stayed. The priest at Daeheung-dong Cathedral gave them two sacks of flour. Han Soon-deok learned the trade from bakers in town, and in October 1956 they opened a steamed bun stall in a tent in front of Daejeon Station, with a sign reading Sungsimdang leaning against the pole. The name means sacred heart.
The bakery moved to Jung-dong in 1958 and to Eunhaeng-dong in 1967. The son, Im Young-jin, took over as chief executive in 1981. None of those moves left the city.
So if the family never made it to Seoul, did the bakery?
Every branch on the company's own list is in Daejeon
The store list on the official site gives four bakery locations, plus separate shops for cakes, sandwiches, traditional sweets, noodles and pasta, and a cultural centre. Every address on it is in Daejeon.
| Bakery branch | Address on the official site | Hours listed |
|---|---|---|
| Main store | 15 Daejong-ro 480beon-gil, Jung-gu | Daily 08:00 to 22:00 |
| Daejeon Station | 215 Jungang-ro, Dong-gu | Daily 07:00 to 22:30 |
| DCC (Daejeon Convention Center) | 107 Expo-ro, Yuseong-gu, 1F | 1F 08:00 to 22:00 |
| Lotte Department Store Daejeon | 598 Gyeryong-ro, Seo-gu, 1F | 08:00 to 22:00 |
When Sungsimdang bakery did sell in Seoul, it was temporary. In January 2013 it took part in a pop-up event at the Lotte Department Store main branch in Sogong-dong. The company's illustrated history describes it as a single week, and says people queued for more than an hour and a half for the fried bun. A queue for one famous item is a pattern I have written about before, and it usually tells you less about a city than it seems to: Gangneung Jungang Market: The Queue Is for Fried Chicken, and the Locals Are 700 Metres Away.
The company ties itself to the city in its own words. In 2009 it changed its slogan from "There is Sungsimdang in Daejeon" to "Sungsimdang is the culture of Daejeon", and its history lists a Michelin Green Guide selection in 2011. That is the whole argument for the trip. You cannot walk into one in Seoul.
Which leaves the question the queue answers badly: what should you actually buy?
Twigim soboro is three breads in one, and it is not the only thing to buy
Twigim soboro, which everyone shortens to tuiso, was developed in May 1980 and is patented. The company describes it as the sweetness of a red bean bun, the nutty crumble of a soboro bun and the crispness of a doughnut in one piece, and twigim, the first word of the name, means fried. The illustrated history puts the number sold at more than 80 million.
It is not the only thing on the list. Pantalong buchu-ppang, a bread made with Korean garlic chives, was developed in 1986 and is also patented. The cake shop, Sungsimdang Cake Boutique, has its own address and its own hours, and in January 2023 it launched a strawberry siru cake that the company lists at 2.3 kg. There is also Yetmat Somssi, a traditional sweets shop the company describes as built around the feel of the 1970s.
Gyeongju has its own famous bread, and I wrote there about why the thing you buy to take home is not the thing you eat for lunch: Gyeongju Food: The Famous One Is a Souvenir, and the Meal Is Next to the Tombs.
So with four bakeries in one city, which one do you walk into?
Which branch fits your day depends on your train
If you are passing through, the Daejeon Station branch is the one built for you. On the official list it opens the earliest, at 07:00, and closes the latest, at 22:30, every day. The company opened it in November 2012, fifty-six years after the tent in front of the same station. Its own history says the tuiso queue there was long enough that some passengers missed their trains, and that people got off the KTX on purpose just to shop. If you are booking the train yourself, the card problem on Korail is worth sorting out first: Seoul to Busan KTX: Why Your Card Gets Rejected, and How to Actually Book It.
If you are staying in Daejeon, the Sungsimdang bakery main store in Jung-gu is the original line of the business, open 08:00 to 22:00 with no closing day listed. The cake shop is a separate address, so check which building you need before you queue. The DCC branch sits inside the Daejeon Convention Center in Yuseong-gu, and the Lotte branch is inside the department store in Seo-gu.
One date to plan around: the company's history names Christmas as the busiest day of its year, the day people come for their Christmas cakes from the Cake Boutique.
FAQ
Is there a Sungsimdang bakery in Seoul?
Not on the company's list. Every bakery and shop on the official store page is in Daejeon. The Seoul appearance people remember was a one-week pop-up at the Lotte Department Store in Sogong-dong in January 2013.
Which Sungsimdang branch opens earliest?
The Daejeon Station branch, at 07:00 every day, closing at 22:30. It is the easiest branch to use between trains.
What should I buy at Sungsimdang besides tuiso?
Pantalong buchu-ppang, the garlic chive bread from 1986, is the other patented item. For cake, the Cake Boutique is a separate shop, and the strawberry siru cake launched there in 2023.
Is Sungsimdang open every day?
The main store, the Daejeon Station branch and Yetmat Somssi are listed as open all year with no closing day. Hours differ by branch, so check the store page before a late visit.
Can I buy Sungsimdang online?
The company opened an online shop in 2020 at sungsimdangmall.co.kr. I have not confirmed what it sells or where it delivers, so do not plan around it.
The short version
Sungsimdang bakery exists in Daejeon because a train carrying the founders to Seoul broke down there, and the family opened a steamed bun stall outside the station in 1956 with two sacks of donated flour. Every branch on the company's own list is still in Daejeon, and its best-known Seoul appearance was a one-week pop-up in 2013. The fried bun, tuiso, dates from 1980 and is the thing everyone queues for. The chive bread and the Cake Boutique are the reasons to stay longer. If you are only passing through, the Daejeon Station branch opens at 07:00 and closes at 22:30. The earlier piece in this Daejeon series covered getting here from Seoul, and the next one is about the Yuseong hot spring district.
Sources
Official company website, company introduction, founders' story and history timeline: https://www.sungsimdang.co.kr/page/11 and https://www.sungsimdang.co.kr/page/12
Official company website, illustrated history (tuiso sales, Seoul pop-up queue, Daejeon Station branch, Christmas): https://www.sungsimdang.co.kr/page/14
Official company website, brand and store pages with addresses and opening hours: https://www.sungsimdang.co.kr/31