Eating with Seoul; Meet the women behind Korea’s Vegan Movement

It’s no secret that since moving to Korea I have struggled to stick to a plant-based diet. In fact, there has been a running theme throughout my blogs recently, focusing on finding vegan havens amidst a country of meat-loving carnivores. But during my short year in Korea I have witnessed a new found appreciation of veganism – with more restaurants opening, small events dotted around the city and the newly elected President promising to make South Korea a better place for animals, as well as people. As this community grows, there are three women to thank – and I had the pleasure of meeting two of them just before the 3^rd Vegan Festival Korea.

Eating with Seoul: my top vegan restaurants in the city

The soul of Seoul is the food. It’s the city that never stops; 24-hour restaurants, themed cafés and home to some of the biggest food markets in the world. It’s not unusual to find most needs catered for relatively easily whilst strolling around in the twilight hours. Since moving to here in 2016, I’ve been documenting the ins and outs of being a vegan in Korea – and I have finally collected enough information (aka, eaten a ridiculous amount) to introduce my top vegan restaurants in Seoul!

Eating with Seoul: a vegans guide to surviving in South Korea.

It’s no secret that following a plant based diet in Korea hasn’t been the easiest of things. It’s the land of the meat eating, BBQ loving, fried chicken partying. Korea and ‘vegan’ do not usually come hand-in-hand; it was difficult and daunting arriving in a foreign country with this extra obstacle to overcome. But fear not my fellow vegan explorers – Korea is not a total meat frenzy. As I approach the one year mark, I’ve found some awesome vegan havens, some quirky alternatives to traditional cuisine and a few useful phrases – so here’s my guide for surviving in Korea on a plant based diet.  

A vegetarian in Mangwon; exploring Seoul’s new hipster hangout.

Past the street merchants and western style cafés of Noksapyeong, we came over the horizon onto Itaewon-ro, to the sound of a thumping baseline and hordes of people. We’d accidentally arrived on the day of the annual Global Village Festival; a weekend-long celebration of international cuisines, music, fashion and crafts. But this wasn’t the hidden gem of the weekend.

Eating with Seoul; a vegan festival

After the painless Saturday morning operation of moving to a new apartment, less than 200m from our school, Molly and I ventured north of the Han River to the annual vegan festival held in the Seoul Innovation Park. Nestled at the foot of the Bukhansan National Park is a centre for stimulating the creative economy with consideration to social and environmental issues – a perfect place to hold a vegan festival.