10 won bread (Korean: 십원빵; RR: sipwonppang), also sometimes called 10 won waffle or sibwonppang is a South Korean street food that was first sold in Gyeongju in 2019. It is a bread or waffle in the shape of a South Korean 10 won coin that contains stretchy mozzarella cheese.
The bread has inspired a number of variations in various cities across South Korea, including 50 won bread (in Jeonju), 100 won bread (in Tongyeong), and 500 won bread (in Seoul's Sinsa-dong). In 2022, it spread to Japan as 10 yen bread.
Description
The bread has markings that make it closely resemble a 10 won coin. This coin was selected possibly because the coin's reverse side shows an image of the Dabotap pagoda in Gyeongju's famous temple Bulguksa.
The dish was reportedly invented by a Jeju Province-based company (제주한치빵). It began making a similar cheese-filled bread dish called Hanchi bread in 2016, which was shaped like a squid. The company decided to make variations on the dish that appealed to the local character of various places around South Korea, and chose the 10 won coin for Gyeongju. It signed a franchising agreement with a Gyeongju-based distributor, who began selling the dish in December 2019 at Gyeongju's Hwangnidan-gil shopping street. However, the seller reportedly violated the terms of the contract (by using cheese that was not from Jeju Province), which resulted in a civil court case and a fine. The agreement was terminated in 2021. In spite of this, the seller filed a trademark for the bread under a slightly different brand name, and continued operating. Concurrently, numerous copycat sellers emerged in the city. A court ruling then prohibited the use of the name 10 won bread.
Around 2022 and 2023, the South Korean Bank of Korea asked the makers of 10 won bread to change the design of the bread in order to abide by laws that prevent the for-profit use of the coin's design. Many shop owners were reportedly reluctant to abide by the ask. They argued that the South Korean government had published the coin's design files under the Korea Open Government License, which allows for commercial use. The Bank of Korea reported that these files were uploaded in error. A number of merchants expressed little worry at fear of punishment or impact on their business, even if the design were to change. In August 2024, it was reported that the Bank of Korea would adjust its regulations to allow the commercial use of its currency designs in some scenarios, including for the design of the bread.
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol ate the bread while on the campaign trail in 2021. In 2024, it was reported that a store in Hong Kong sold the bread as "10 cent bread".
References
- Lee, Jung-youn (2023-11-11). "[Weekender] Warm delights on cold nights: Street snacks make a comeback". The Korea Herald (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ "Sibwonppang street snack faces design overhaul after complaints from BOK". Korea JoongAng Daily. 2023-06-23. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ Lee, Yeon-woo (2023-06-22). "BOK wants '10-won bread' to stop looking like money". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- Joo, Jung-wan (2023-07-16). "Two different fates for the same bread". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2024-07-23. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ 불티나는 '십원빵' 알고보니 경주 아닌 "제주도가 원조". 제주의소리 (in Korean). 2023-06-23. Archived from the original on 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ 최, 충일; 김, 정석 (2023-06-26). "尹도 먹은 경주 '십원빵', 화폐 도용 이어 이번엔 원조 논란". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2023-06-26. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ 일본 십엔빵의 원조 '십원빵' 뒤늦게 허용…"황당규제" 비판에 백기. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). 2024-08-30. Archived from the original on 2024-09-07. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ 이, 승준 (2023-06-21). 윤 대통령도 먹었던 경주 '십원빵', 디자인 바뀐다…왜. The Hankyoreh (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2023-06-22. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- Yoon, Seung-jin; Lee, Ji-young (2024-08-30). "'10 won bread' to be mintable with relaxed currency regulations". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- "10 Cents Bread". Time Out. 2024-08-20. Retrieved 2025-01-08.