Price verified July 2026 · Homeplus Express, Seoul, South Korea
The moment those green mesh bags start stacking up at the mart, that’s it — summer’s officially here. Three ears for under ₩3,000, and boiled right they come out chewy, almost sticky, with a nutty sweetness that sneaks up on you. It’s not fancy. It’s corn. But as a summer snack, the value is genuinely hard to argue with.
Korean waxy corn / glutinous corn costs ₩2,990 at Homeplus Express, Seoul, South Korea, as of July 2026. ()
What you get
Picked this up off the vegetable shelf at Homeplus Express, where it was tagged as a “boknal” health-food special — a net bag of three Korean-grown ears for ₩2,990. With Chobok (the first of the dog days, July 15) right around the corner, the mart was practically giving summer produce away. Straight into the basket. Quick primer if Korean corn confuses you: this is waxy corn — chal-oksusu — the pale, chewy, sticky kind. You boil it. Always. Nobody eats this raw. There’s also regular sweet corn, the crunchier one, plus that super-sweet variety people do eat raw for a few weeks in early summer. But if you ask me, the waxy one is the most summer of the bunch. The classic boiling corn. Here’s how I cook it: peel the husk down to one thin inner layer, tidy up the silk, then into the pot with a spoonful of coarse salt (a little sugar too, if that’s your thing). Ten minutes on high, twenty-five on medium — call it 35 minutes total. That inner husk layer matters, by the way. It traps the moisture and keeps the kernels chewier. Do it right and they come out plump, with that toasty corn smell filling the kitchen. And my actual trick: the second an ear comes out of the pot, wrap it in plastic wrap. It stays springy and moist even after it’s cooled all the way down. One more thing, about the season. Boknal is when the marts slash prices on all the summer stuff — samgyetang ingredients, watermelon, corn, the works. Three ears under ₩3,000 is that seasonal price.
Price details
| Item | Korean waxy corn / glutinous corn (chal-oksusu), net bag of 3 ears, grown in Korea |
| Price | ₩2,990 — |
| Where | Homeplus Express, Seoul, South Korea |
| Date | July 2026 |
| Best for | Family snacking through the hot months, and anyone who wants the chewy Korean corn you boil rather than the sweet kind you eat raw. |
| Would I buy again? | Yes — this is my go-to summer buy, and the boknal-season price makes it a no-brainer. |
FAQ
What’s the difference between waxy corn and super sweet corn?
Waxy corn (chal-oksusu) has those white, chewy, sticky kernels — you always boil or steam it. Super sweet corn (chodang-oksusu) is way sweeter and crisp enough to eat raw, but it’s only around for a short stretch in June and July.
How do you boil it?
Leave one thin inner layer of husk on, salt the water (a touch of sugar if you like), and boil about 35 minutes total — 10 on high, then 25 on medium. Wrap each ear in plastic wrap the moment it’s done so it stays moist and springy.
Is it really 3 ears for ₩2,990?
It was — that’s the boknal-season special at Homeplus Express. Prices swing by store and season, but summer is when it bottoms out.
When is the best time to buy it?
Peak season is midsummer, roughly June through August. Marts run specials around boknal — the dog days — with Chobok landing on July 15.
This price is as of July 11, 2026 (date of writing) and may vary by store.