On game days, queues outside a rice cake shop near Gwangju Songjeong Station can stretch more than 50 metres (164ft), a familiar scene that even local taxi drivers anticipate, often naming the destination before passengers finish asking.
“In my whole life, it is my first time seeing people line up like this at a rice cake shop,” one taxi driver says.
The draw is pumpkin injeolmi, a sticky rice cake from the bakery Changeok Tteok that has become a viral sensation, drawing crowds rivalling the craze for the Dubai chewy cookie.
Yet, while domestic tourists travel across the country for this long-time local favourite, the true appeal of Gwangju – home to the Gwangju World Cup Stadium and the Gwangju-Kia Champions Field baseball stadium – reveals itself in the quiet, unhurried neighbourhoods just beyond the bakery queues.
Here, the buzz of viral food trends serves as a gateway to the city’s true draw: a quiet dedication to rich architectural heritage and back-to-basics culinary craftsmanship.