Jaembaeok

Jaembaeok, also rendered in Korean as 잼배옥, is a historic Korean restaurant in Seoul's Jung District. It is associated primarily with seolleongtang, a milky ox-bone soup made by prolonged boiling, and is described as the fifth-oldest active restaurant in Seoul. The restaurant opened near Seoul Station in 1933, although the founder reportedly remembered the opening year as either 1932 or 1933 and treated 1933 as the conservative date. The restaurant was established by Kim Hee-jun. Its name is linked to the locality where the founder's family lived in Do-dong. That area was reportedly known as Jabawi, written as 紫岩 and meaning “red rock.” Through changes in pronunciation, Jabawi is said to have developed into Jambawi and then Jaembae, while ok means “house.” The name therefore connects the restaurant with a place-based family history rather than with a modern corporate naming strategy. Jaembaeok's history reflects the disruption experienced by Seoul's food businesses during the twentieth century. It is one of relatively few seolleongtang restaurants in the city to have remained connected to the period before and during Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945 and the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. The original restaurant was reportedly destroyed during the war. Kim Hee-jun left Seoul during the conflict, but continued feeding refugees from a tent. After the 1953 ceasefire, he returned and restarted the business in the Namdaemun area. In 1974, the restaurant moved to its current location. A further generational transition followed in 1982, when Kim Hee-jun died and the restaurant passed to his son, Kim Hyeon-min. It subsequently came under the stewardship of his grandson Kim Kyung-bae and granddaughter-in-law Yoon Kyung-sook. This succession has helped preserve Jaembaeok as a family-operated food institution rather than a chain with multiple standardized branches. The restaurant's signature preparation is associated with a large soup cauldron that is kept boiling throughout the day. Stock is continuously replenished, creating a service tradition comparable to a perpetual stew. Alongside seolleongtang, the menu includes doganitang, a soup featuring beef cartilage and connective tissue; kkori-gomtang, a broth made with oxtail; and haejang-guk, a Korean soup commonly associated with recovery after drinking. These dishes place Jaembaeok within Seoul's traditional broth-restaurant culture. Jaembaeok's significance rests on continuity: a long-running location, a family succession, a menu centered on labor-intensive Korean broths, and survival through war and major political and urban changes. Publicly available material does not indicate a corporate parent, stock-market listing, international branch network, or official website. The restaurant is best understood as a heritage-oriented local restaurant brand whose reputation is tied to Seoul's culinary history.

Jaembaeok's documented history begins in 1933, when Kim Hee-jun opened the restaurant near Seoul Station. The precise opening year is not completely certain: the founder reportedly recalled either 1932 or 1933, while later accounts use 1933 as the cautious date. The restaurant's name is traditionally connected with Do-dong, the area associated with the founder's home. The place was known as Jabawi, or “red rock,” and the name is said to have shifted in pronunciation through Jambawi and Jaembae before taking the suffix ok, meaning house. From its beginning, Jaembaeok was centered on seolleongtang, a Korean ox-bone soup prepared through extended boiling. Its cooking method is associated with a large gamasot, or traditional cauldron, that remains in use for long periods. Broth is continually added as service proceeds, giving the restaurant a distinctive continuous-simmering tradition. The menu also includes doganitang, kkori-gomtang, and haejang-guk, all of which reinforce its identity as a specialist in hearty Korean soups and broths. The restaurant operated through the latter part of Japanese colonial rule, which lasted from 1910 to 1945. It is identified as one of the relatively few seolleongtang restaurants in Seoul to have survived the colonial era and the subsequent Korean War. The conflict had a direct effect on the business: the original premises were reportedly destroyed between 1950 and 1953. Kim Hee-jun fled Seoul during the war, but continued serving food to refugees from a tent, preserving the restaurant's connection with its customers despite the loss of its premises. Following the 1953 ceasefire, Kim returned to Seoul and resumed operations in Namdaemun. This restart was an important phase in the restaurant's continuity, because Jaembaeok's history was not simply an uninterrupted operation at one address. Its survival depended on rebuilding the business after wartime displacement and then maintaining the family enterprise through later urban changes. In 1974, Jaembaeok moved to its current location in Jung District. In 1982, Kim Hee-jun died and ownership passed to his son, Kim Hyeon-min. The business later passed to the founder's grandson, Kim Kyung-bae, and granddaughter-in-law, Yoon Kyung-sook. The available account does not provide exact dates for the latter transition, but identifies them as the subsequent family operators. Jaembaeok is therefore best understood as a long-running Seoul restaurant brand whose value derives from continuity of cuisine and family stewardship. It has not been described as a publicly listed company, national chain, or international operator. Its historical profile is instead tied to one restaurant, a small traditional menu, a persistent broth-making practice, and survival through colonial rule, war, relocation, and generational succession.

• 1982

  Second-generation succession

  [1]Jaembaeoken.wikipedia.org

  Following Kim Hee-jun's death, the restaurant passes to his son Kim Hyeon-min.

• 1974

  Move to the current location

  [1]Jaembaeoken.wikipedia.org

  Jaembaeok relocates from Namdaemun to its present location in Seoul's Jung District.

• 1953

  Business resumes after the war

  [1]Jaembaeoken.wikipedia.org

  After the ceasefire, Kim Hee-jun returns to Seoul and restarts Jaembaeok in the Namdaemun area.

• 1950

  Original premises destroyed during the Korean War

  [1]Jaembaeoken.wikipedia.org

  The original restaurant is reportedly destroyed during the 1950–1953 Korean War. Kim Hee-jun leaves Seoul and serves refugees from a tent.

• 1933

  Restaurant opens near Seoul Station

  [1]Jaembaeoken.wikipedia.org

  Kim Hee-jun establishes Jaembaeok near Seoul Station. Accounts treat 1933 as the conservative founding year, although the founder reportedly also recalled 1932.

A historic, family-run Seoul restaurant specializing in traditional Korean beef-bone soups, with its identity built around culinary continuity, local heritage, and long-term operation rather than expansion or contemporary chain branding.

• Korean ox-bone soup · 1933

  Seolleongtang

  Jaembaeok's signature dish is seolleongtang, a pale Korean broth made by boiling ox bones for an extended period. The restaurant's version is associated with a large cauldron kept simmering throughout the day, with fresh soup continuously added to maintain service. The dish is the central expression of Jaembaeok's identity and its connection to Seoul's traditional soup-house culture.

• Beef cartilage soup

  Doganitang

  Doganitang is another traditional broth served by Jaembaeok. It is associated with beef cartilage and connective tissue, producing a rich soup with a more gelatinous texture than ordinary clear broths. Its inclusion broadens the restaurant's offering while remaining within its specialist focus on long-cooked beef soups.

• Oxtail soup

  Kkori-gomtang

  Kkori-gomtang is an oxtail-based Korean soup offered alongside Jaembaeok's seolleongtang. It fits the restaurant's broader emphasis on slow-cooked broths made from beef bones and related cuts, giving customers an alternative to the signature ox-bone soup while preserving the establishment's traditional culinary profile.

• Korean recovery soup

  Haejang-guk

  Haejang-guk is a Korean soup traditionally associated with recovery after drinking. At Jaembaeok, it appears as part of the restaurant's wider selection of substantial, broth-centered dishes. Its presence connects the establishment to Seoul's traditional soup restaurants, where nourishing soups are served across the day rather than positioned only as a formal meal course.

1. 1Jaembaeoken.wikipedia.org