Discovery of Korean Wellness Food : Biji Soup Bar

Biji Soup Bar in Seoul’s Seongsu-dong simmers savory biji (soybean pulp) into soup and hosts running clubs, plogging meetups, and DJ events to create a joyful dining experience. Jeongmin, founder of Biji Soup Bar, who dreams of making biji Korea’s representative wellness food.

Interviewee Hong Jeongmin
Interviewer Ryu Sunwoo

How did Biji Soup Bar get started?
When I was working a corporate job, I was really strict about my diet. I rotated between salads, poke bowls, and keto gimbap, and eventually I found myself craving something warm and healthy. I loved biji (soybean pulp) and tofu, so I started developing a simple one-dish meal, and my friends responded so well that I began selling it online and through pop-ups. This March, I opened the store in Seongsu. Since biji is a savory, traditional ingredient, I intentionally chose to set up in Seongsu, a trendy neighborhood. Just as the Middle East has hummus and Hawaii has poke, my ultimate goal is to introduce biji to the world as a Korean wellness food.

The title ‘wellness tapas bar’ is interesting. What led you to this unique concept?
When I traveled to Spain, I visited a tapas bar that felt like a neighborhood gathering spot. Sitting closely together with everyone in a small space gave me a sense of belonging. I also liked being able to try a little bit of many different dishes. I wanted everyone to feel the atmosphere I experienced there. When people think of healthy food, they usually imagine a single bowl dish, but I wanted to break away from that and create a food culture where there’s fun in choosing from a variety of options. That’s how I came up with this concept. I also enjoy fun things, so I thought calling it just a healthy brunch place would feel boring. (laughs)

What did you do before opening Biji Soup Bar?
I worked as an art director at an advertising agency, planning and producing videos and printed materials that matched brand images. I majored in visual design, with a focus on branding. I worked with brands like Cass, Spotify, and Baedal Minjok (Baemin).

I’m curious how biji soup was created.
I wanted to make a warm dish based on Korean food, so I first tried tofu poke. But preparing the base side dishes took more effort than expected, and it wasn’t even that warm. Just as I was thinking about giving up on developing the menu, biji came to mind. It looked somewhat similar to flour and had a creamy texture, so I thought it might be able to replace the cream or roux used in soups. That’s how I started making soup with biji and soy milk instead of flour, sugar, and heavy cream. I went through a lot of trial and error before getting the flavor right.

Were you originally interested in cooking?
I love eating so much that I often go searching for good restaurants. Zooming into Naver Maps and clicking through each place one by one was a hobby of mine. I’m also very interested in food and beverage brands.

It was striking how you combined ingredients like truffle, tomato, and lemon with biji soup or kongguksu (chilled soybean noodle soup)—things that don’t seem like an obvious match. I’m curious about your menu development process.
I try to make food that only our brand can make. Kongguksu is sold as a summer-only menu item. Wiith so many places already known for their traditional kongguksu, I wanted to offer something different and playful. I thought about how to present it in a fun and different way. I made a soybean broth base and tried combining it with all my favorite toppings, then selected the ones that worked best for the menu. There’s really no way around it but to taste a lot of combinations. Right up until this interview, I was testing a new fall menu item, ‘kongogi (soy meat) fall plum taco rice.’ (laughs) I’m buying different kinds of soy meat to test them all.

You’ve steadily run various programs like running clubs, yoga and meditation, and plogging. What made you try experiences beyond just food?
I thought that in order to promote biji as ‘Korea’s most representative wellness food,’ biji itself first needed to become fun. So I intentionally tried to hold events with unexpected combinations that wouldn’t normally be associated with biji. I’ve held rave parties with DJs, and organized gatherings where people eat biji soup or kongguksu after running or plogging. Until now, I’ve mostly planned events related to wellness and music, but going forward, I’d like to host events where warmth and affection can be shared through biji soup.

Do you have any events planned?
I’d like to run a cooking class with my mom called the ‘Eommisae Club’ (short for ‘those who love their moms’). Also, since there are a lot of dog walkers around, I think it would be fun to use the outdoor tables in front of the store as a stop for dog walks—it’s close to the Han River. I’d also like to develop a menu for dogs. I’m currently gathering ideas for activities suited to the fall weather.

Who are your main customers?
On weekdays, we get a lot of nearby office workers who enjoy healthy food, and young couples from the apartment complex right in front sometimes come with their babies. On weekends, we see a lot of couples on dates and women.

The atmosphere feels really cozy. Was there anything you focused on when designing the space?
As I mentioned, I was inspired by tapas bars in Spain. Similarly, I wanted the interior to feel like a rural neighborhood gathering spot. At places that serve poke or salads, there’s often an atmosphere where you just eat and leave, but I wanted visitors to Biji Soup Bar to feel like they were on a trip. I intentionally made the door a bold color as an accent, so that the moment you open it and step inside, you’d feel like you’d wandered into a different world.

What does your daily life look like these days?
Running a store, I inevitably fall into a bit of a routine rut. So on days when I can fully rest, I make sure to go traveling. Traveling reminds me that the world really does have a lot of fun things in it, and it gives me the energy to try new things. I’ve decided to take a domestic trip once a month, and recently I visited Daejeon and Busan.

How do you pursue wellness while traveling?
I think wellness ultimately comes down to feeling good and happy. When I travel, I happily enjoy all the food I want, but I also get up very early to walk around the neighborhood or explore a route I’ve picked out in advance.

Is there a memorable wellness experience from your travels?
I loved waking up early and running in Spain. Running in a travel destination feels refreshing and lets you blend in with the locals. If you just run wherever your feet take you, you end up exploring alleys you’d never have visited otherwise. It felt like becoming a local, and I have fond memories of running every morning there.

Tell us more about your trip to Spain.
It was the first long trip I took after becoming a working adult. I spent two weeks in Barcelona, Malaga, and Mallorca. At a time when work was everything in my life, it was a chance to refresh and rediscover just how many fun things there are in the world. I think that trip is part of what gave me the courage to take on the challenge of Biji Soup Bar.

I heard you want to expand into a wellness brand. What are your future plans?
I believe true wellness means living happily with a healthy body and mind. Beyond making healthy food, I want to keep creating fun things that make people feel good. I also plan to develop more healthy menu items using a wider variety of ingredients beyond biji. We’ll also be selling biji soup online again soon. Since I’ve been doing everything on my own, it used to sell out quickly, but I’m now preparing to turn it into a proper product.

Lastly, what does Biji Soup Bar consider a life well lived and well eaten?
A life filled with memorable moments. I hope moments throughout everyday life will stay with us, just as they do when we travel. I believe life becomes richer when more of those moments fill the same span of time. I hope Biji Soup Bar can be one of them.