Price verified July 2026 · GS The Fresh supermarket, Sinchon, Seoul, South Korea
Chobok just passed, and the leftover native chickens got slapped with 40% stickers — original ₩14,830, paid ₩8,898. Tojongdak is bigger and chewier than the usual young bird, and that tough, springy bite is exactly why I grab one now and then.
Harim Tojongdak costs ₩8,898 at GS The Fresh supermarket, Sinchon, Seoul, South Korea, as of July 2026. ()
What you get
There’s a summer ritual in Korea called sambok — three of the hottest days of the year (chobok, jungbok, malbok), and the tradition is to fight heat with heat: a scalding bowl of chicken soup like samgyetang or baeksuk when it’s 33°C outside. Sounds backwards, works weirdly well. Supermarkets stock mountains of whole chickens right before each bok day, and once chobok passes, whatever didn’t sell comes out wearing discount stickers. That’s how I found this one in the chilled section at GS The Fresh in Sinchon: Harim tojongdak, size 11, packed for baeksuk, 1,050g, ₩14,830 crossed out to ₩8,898 with a red 40% tag. Here’s the thing worth knowing — this isn’t the standard young chicken (yeonggye) that goes into samgyetang. Tojongdak means Korean native-breed chicken. Bigger frame, firmer meat, and yeah, some people would just call it tough. But simmered long and slow, it turns springy-chewy in a way factory broilers never do, and it dumps way more flavor into the pot. I did the classic baeksuk at home: whole bird, a fistful of garlic, a few jujubes, water, and just let it go until the broth turned rich and cloudy. No fancy seasoning, salt at the table. Four stars, not five — the chew isn’t for everyone and it needs real simmering time. But once a summer? Absolutely.
Price details
| Item | Harim Tojongdak (Korean native chicken, size 11, whole, for baeksuk, 1,050g, 100% Korean-raised) |
| Price | ₩8,898 — |
| Where | GS The Fresh supermarket, Sinchon, Seoul, South Korea |
| Date | July 2026 |
| Best for | Anyone who wants to try baeksuk or samgyetang culture at home, or who likes chicken with actual chew instead of soft baby-bird meat. |
| Would I buy again? | Yes — not weekly, but every summer around boknal I end up simmering one of these. |
Tip: Don’t rush it. Simmer at least 60–90 minutes with garlic and jujubes, or the meat stays stubborn. Skim the foam early for a cleaner broth, and finish by cooking rice or glass noodles in the leftover soup — that’s the best part. Bok-day markdowns show up the day or two after each bok date, so check the chilled meat section then.
FAQ
How much does a whole chicken cost in Korea?
This Harim native chicken (tojongdak, 1,050g) was ₩8,898 at GS The Fresh in Seoul in July 2026 — marked down 40% from ₩14,830 after chobok, the first of Korea’s summer bok days, when stores clear leftover boknal stock.
What is tojongdak (Korean native chicken)?
It’s a Korean native-breed chicken, larger and firmer than the small young chickens used for samgyetang. The meat is chewier with a springy bite, and it makes a much richer broth when simmered long — which is why it’s sold labeled ‘for baeksuk’.
What is baeksuk and how do you make it?
Baeksuk is a whole chicken simmered plain in water with garlic and jujubes until the broth turns rich — no red pepper, no heavy seasoning. You salt it at the table. With a native chicken, give it at least an hour or more on the stove.
What are boknal / chobok in Korea?
Sambok is a set of three midsummer dates — chobok, jungbok, malbok — when Koreans traditionally eat hot chicken soup to beat the heat (‘fight heat with heat’). Supermarkets pile up whole chickens around these dates, and unsold birds often get discounted right after.
This price is as of July 18, 2026 (date of writing) and may vary by store.