What do Koreans do the morning after a night of drinking?
There is a simple answer you will hear quite often:
“Let’s get some haejang.”
For many Koreans, the day after drinking naturally leads to a hot bowl of soup, a hearty stew, a bowl of kongnamul-gukbap, or sometimes just a quick bowl of ramyeon.
To a foreign visitor, this can seem a little surprising.
“If your stomach already feels bad, why would you eat something hot and spicy?”
That question is actually a good way to understand one of Korea’s most interesting food traditions.
What Does “Haejang” Mean in Korea?
Haejang (해장) is the Korean tradition of eating something after drinking, usually with the hope of feeling better after the night before.
It is not the name of one particular dish.
You might have haejangguk, kongnamul-gukbap, bugeoguk, or bokguk. For some people, a simple bowl of ramyeon is the most practical choice.
In other words, haejang is less about one specific food and more about what you eat after drinking.
The Korean expression also carries the idea of “풀다” (pulda) — to loosen, relieve, or ease something that is weighing on you.
So when Koreans talk about haejang, they are not simply talking about breakfast.
They are talking about getting yourself back to normal after a night of drinking.
Why Do Koreans Reach for Hot Soup?
This is probably the most interesting question for someone experiencing Korean drinking culture for the first time.
Why would you want a steaming bowl of soup when you have a hangover?
For many Koreans, hot soup is more than just food.
A bowl of warm broth eaten slowly, usually with rice, can feel comforting and familiar. Koreans often describe this experience as “속을 푼다” — easing or settling the stomach.
Some people prefer a spicy, hearty broth because they enjoy its strong flavor.
Others prefer a clear and mild soup that feels lighter and easier to eat.
This is one reason Korean haejang has developed into such a broad food culture rather than a single dish.
But there is an important distinction:
Haejang is a cultural food tradition, not a medically proven hangover cure.
The feeling of relief is part of the experience and tradition, while the medical causes and recovery from a hangover are more complicated.
Source: VisitKorea — Hangover Food for a Faster Recovery
Korea vs. Other Hangover Traditions
Different cultures have different ideas about what feels right after a night of drinking.
In some Western cultures, people commonly mention coffee, toast, eggs, bacon, heavier breakfasts, or greasy comfort foods when talking about the morning after drinking.
In Korea, hot soup and rice are much more familiar choices.
For a Korean, saying:
“I have a hangover. Let’s get some hot soup.”
sounds perfectly normal.
For a foreign visitor, it might sound more like:
“You have a hangover—and you want hot soup?”
Neither approach needs to be judged as better.
What people crave after drinking is often a reflection of the food culture they grew up with.
Two Styles of Korean Haejang
Korean haejang foods come in many forms.
When it comes to soups and stews, they can broadly be thought of in two styles:
spicy and hearty, or clear and comforting.
One important point: not all of the dishes below are technically called haejangguk.
Koreans simply turn to many different soups, stews, and noodle dishes when they want something warm and satisfying after drinking.
🌶️ Spicy & Hearty
Ugeoji Haejangguk
Ugeoji refers to cooked or dried outer cabbage leaves.
Ugeoji haejangguk usually has a savory, hearty broth with soft cabbage leaves. Soybean paste and chili seasoning often give the soup a deep flavor with a gentle to moderate spicy kick.
The cabbage becomes tender as it cooks, while the hot broth and rice make the meal feel substantial.
Typical price: around ₩8,000–₩12,000 (about US$5.90–$8.80).
Seonji Haejangguk
Seonji haejangguk contains seonji, or coagulated beef blood.
For many foreign visitors, the ingredient itself can be unfamiliar.
The texture is distinctive — soft but slightly firm and springy — and it is usually served with ingredients such as bean sprouts, cabbage, radish, or other vegetables in a rich broth.
It is one of the more distinctive examples of traditional Korean haejang food.
Typical price: around ₩8,000–₩12,000 (about US$5.90–$8.80).
Yukgaejang
Yukgaejang is a spicy soup made with shredded beef, green onions, and vegetables such as bracken fern.
The broth is rich and spicy, while the shredded ingredients give the soup plenty of texture.
With a bowl of rice, it becomes a substantial meal.
It is not limited to people specifically looking for traditional haejangguk. Sometimes people simply want a hot, spicy bowl of soup after drinking.
Typical price: around ₩9,000–₩13,000 (about US$6.60–$9.55).
Sundubu-jjigae
Sundubu-jjigae is a hot Korean stew made with very soft tofu.
The tofu has an almost custard-like softness, while the spicy broth gives the dish a stronger flavor. An egg is often added, making the stew even richer.
It is not technically a traditional haejangguk, but it is a natural choice for Koreans who want something hot and spicy after drinking.
Typical price: around ₩8,000–₩12,000 (about US$5.90–$8.80).
Ramyeon
And then there is the most practical option of all:
ramyeon.
Ramyeon is not a traditional haejangguk, but it is hard to leave it out when talking about everyday Korean hangover food.
It is hot, quick to prepare, inexpensive, and easy to make at home.
The noodles are springy and chewy, while the hot broth delivers a strong, salty-spicy flavor. Add an egg, green onions, or kimchi, and it becomes an even more filling meal.
Typical restaurant price: around ₩4,000–₩6,000 (about US$2.95–$4.40), depending on the restaurant and type.
If you want to learn more about Korea’s everyday ramyeon culture, see our Korean Ramyeon: A Beginner’s Guide to Korea’s Everyday Noodles.
🍲 Clear & Comforting
Kongnamul-gukbap
Kongnamul-gukbap is a hot soup made with bean sprouts and rice.
The bean sprouts add a light crunch, while the hot broth soaks into the rice. It is simple, filling, and surprisingly comforting after a long night.
It is one of Korea’s best-known everyday haejang foods.
Typical price: around ₩7,000–₩10,000 (about US$5.15–$7.35).
Bugeoguk
Bugeoguk is a clear soup made with dried pollock.
The fish has a light, slightly chewy texture, while the broth has a relatively mild and clean flavor.
That makes it approachable even for people who do not want something spicy.
It is also eaten as an ordinary breakfast in Korean homes, so you do not necessarily need to visit a haejangguk restaurant to try it.
Typical price: around ₩8,000–₩12,000 (about US$5.90–$8.80).
Bokguk
Bokguk is a clear soup made with pufferfish.
It has a clean, delicate flavor and is often served with ingredients such as bean sprouts or water parsley.
Compared with an everyday bowl of haejangguk, it is generally more expensive and can feel like a more special way to enjoy a post-drinking meal.
The fish itself is tender and delicate, while the clear broth lets its clean flavor stand out.
Typical price: around ₩12,000–₩25,000+ (about US$8.80–$18.40+).
Daegu Jiri-tang
Daegu jiri-tang is a clear Korean fish soup made with cod (daegu).
Unlike many red, spicy Korean soups, jiri-tang is prepared in a mild broth without the strong red chili flavor that many visitors associate with Korean food.
The cod is tender and flaky, and the clear broth gives the dish a clean, gentle character.
For someone who wants something completely different from a spicy haejangguk, this can be an excellent example of Korea’s clear-soup tradition.
Typical price: around ₩10,000–₩20,000+ (about US$7.35–$14.70+).
Why Are Some Haejangguk Restaurants Open Late at Night?
Here is where Korean haejang culture becomes even more interesting.
A haejangguk restaurant is not necessarily a place you visit only in the morning.
Some restaurants operate 24 hours or late into the night.
Why?
Because the people eating haejangguk are not always people who woke up the next morning with a hangover.
Some may stop by after finishing a late-night drinking session.
Others may eat there in the early morning after drinking through the night.
And, of course, some people come the next morning specifically to have their haejang.
So in Korea, the following sequence is entirely possible:
Drinking → Haejangguk restaurant → Hot soup and rice → Home
The drinking night can sometimes flow naturally into a bowl of hot soup.
Opening hours vary by restaurant, so check before visiting.
Korean Hangover Relief Drinks
There is another part of Korean drinking culture that foreign visitors may notice:
hangover-relief products.
In Korean convenience stores and other retail shops, you can often find small bottles, pouches, and other products marketed for hangover relief.
Some people take them before drinking, while others use them afterward.
For foreign visitors, this is another interesting part of Korea’s drinking culture.
There is also an important recent regulatory change.
Since 2025, Korean rules have required stronger scientific evidence for ordinary foods making hangover-relief claims.
In other words, products making such claims cannot simply rely on marketing language without meeting the relevant substantiation requirements.
However, a hangover-relief product is not a medicine simply because it is marketed for hangovers.
And a food carrying a functional claim is not necessarily the same thing as a Korean health functional food under the separate regulatory category.
For visitors, the important point is simple:
Hangover-relief products are a familiar part of Korean drinking culture, but they should not be confused with a medically proven cure.
Source: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) — Hangover-relief functional claims and labeling
Does Haejang Really Cure a Hangover?
This is where culture and science need to be separated.
A Korean may eat hot soup and genuinely feel that their stomach has “opened up” or “settled down.”
That experience is real.
But it does not mean that a particular food has been medically proven to cure a hangover.
A hangover is not simply a matter of being thirsty.
Alcohol can affect hydration, sleep, the gastrointestinal system, and inflammatory processes, among other factors.
There is currently no single food that has been scientifically established as a magic cure for a hangover.
So the most accurate way to understand Korean haejang is this:
Haejang is a cultural way of eating and caring for yourself after drinking, rather than a medically proven cure.
That distinction is important when experiencing Korean food culture.
Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) — Hangovers
Here is the funny contradiction in Korean drinking culture.
Haejangguk is supposed to be something you eat after drinking.
But sometimes, a haejangguk restaurant becomes a third-round drinking spot.
For example:
First round → Korean BBQ and soju
Second round → More food and drinks
Third round → Haejangguk + another drink
An outside observer might reasonably ask:
“Wait. Didn’t you come here to recover from drinking?”
There is even a Korean expression for drinking again after drinking:
Haejang-sul (해장술).
It refers to having alcohol again as part of the haejang context.
It should not be presented as a hangover treatment.
It is simply one of the more unusual and memorable expressions of Korea’s drinking culture.
In other words, the food meant to end the drinking night can sometimes become part of the drinking night itself.
There is one reason I still have a special feeling for haejangguk.
When my daughter was five years old, I had quite a bit to drink the night before.
The next day was probably a holiday, and I decided to go to a haejangguk restaurant near our home.
My daughter followed me out.
I remember thinking, “What is this kid going to eat there? The soup is pretty spicy.”
But she came along anyway.
And then something unexpected happened.
She actually ate the spicy haejangguk quite well.
I remember looking at her with a mixture of surprise and admiration, wondering how this little five-year-old could handle that spicy soup so easily.
Even now, when I eat haejangguk, I sometimes remember her face that day.
So for me, haejangguk is more than something that helps after a night of drinking.
It also carries a memory of a little girl who once followed her father out for a bowl of soup.
That is perhaps what food does best.
Years later, you may sit down for the same meal — and suddenly, someone you love is sitting there with you again.
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