Food companies go retro to revive old tastes as consumers tire of fleeting fads

Korean food companies are reviving decades-old products and packaging as consumers tired of fast-changing dessert fads turn to familiar flavors from the 1970s and ’80s.

Beyond trusting tastes that have stood the test of time, many are also drawn to the look and feel of earlier decades, part of a broader retro trend.

Lotte Chilsung Beverage this month relaunched Captain Q, a rum-style liquor it discontinued in 2015, according to the retail industry on Oct. 18. When it debuted in 1980, a 700-milliliter (23.6-ounce) bottle sold for just 3,000 won ($2), and its low price helped bring Western-style liquor to the Korean mass market. It was also nicknamed “the liquor with no hangover the next day,” because drinkers who had it before bed supposedly didn’t wake up until two days later.

The original Captain Q drew criticism for being little more than neutral spirits flavored with rum, offering only the facade of a Western liquor. The new version, however, is made with 99 percent Caribbean rum distillate, aged first in bourbon casks and then in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, according to the company.

Response has been strong. Three Captain Q commercials posted on YouTube — a teaser, a prelaunch ad and a launch ad — had drawn a combined 7 million views as of Oct. 18. The ads feature comedian Lee Sun-min recreating a 1980s commercial, drawing comments such as “I really thought it was an old commercial.”

The “Captain Q Treasure Box” package (translated), which was released to mark the relaunch and includes two bottles of Captain Q, a dedicated glass and a pure silver coin, sold out in preorders. The package costs 19,800 won, but posts on secondhand marketplaces are offering 50,000 won for the silver coin alone.

Ramyeon (instant noodles) makers and bakeries have also joined the retro wave. Nongshim will bring back Bokkeum Neoguri, a stir-fried version of its Neoguri seafood-flavored ramyeon, starting on Tuesday. The product was first launched in 2017 but discontinued in 2024.

Convenience store chain GS25 expanded its Taegeukdang lineup this month after six ice cream products made in collaboration with the 80-year-old bakery sold a combined 2.7 million units. The new additions include buttercream bread, "oranda" bread, which is inspired by a traditional snack of puffed grain bound with rice syrup, and mini mammoth bread, a smaller take on the bakery’s large cream-filled pastry.

Snacks first released half a century ago are also back in their original wrappers. Asung Daiso, operator of Korea’s largest budget household goods chain Daiso, partnered with food companies earlier this year to release nine snacks using packaging that recreates their original designs. They are Orion’s Choco Pie (1974) and Goraebap (1984); Crown Confectionery’s Jolly Pong (1972), Caramel Corn & Peanut (1989), Crown Sando Strawberry Cream Cheese (1956) and Big Pie (1983); Lotte Wellfood’s Original Pepero (1983); and Haitai Confectionery’s Matdongsan (1975) and Ace (1974), all products from the 20th century.

Long-running snacks also continue to top sales charts despite the constant stream of new products. Nongshim’s Saeukkang shrimp chips was the best-selling snack last year, according to the Food Information Statistics System run by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation. Lotte’s Pepero led biscuit brands, while Orion’s Choco Pie posted the highest sales in the semifresh chocolate cake category, a category made with adjusted ingredient content compared to fresh chocolate cakes.

The book "Trend Korea 2026" (2025) described the sentiment behind the recent retro boom as geunbon-ism, or “returning to the fundamentals” and longing for “an unchanging essence” amid the rapid advance of AI and digital technology.

“As trends change faster, consumers who haven’t been able to get deep satisfaction are seeking out products they remember enjoying in the past,” said Lee Eun-hee, a consumer science professor at Inha University. “Consuming new and varied products has instead created a thirst, asking ‘Why can’t we find food like we used to?’ and creating nostalgia for it.”

BY KANG BO-HYUN [[email protected]]