How Korea's boxed lunch comeback became more than a way to save money

Freshly cooked rice goes in first, followed by sturdier side dishes like grilled mackerel, before softer vegetables are layered on top.

Before snapping the lid shut, office worker Lee Young-jin pauses for one last inspection.

"Every boxed lunch needs three colors — red, yellow and green," the 32-year-old told Korea JoongAng Daily. She isn't preparing lunch for a picnic or someone special. She's packing dosirak, the Korean term for a boxed meal, for herself before heading to work.

"Plating is the most important. I want to open my lunch box at lunchtime and instantly feel good."

Her latest creations — watermelon-shaped rice balls, tuna ssambap (leaf wraps and rice) and neatly arranged salmon lunches — regularly attract tens of thousands of views on Instagram. Some reels have surpassed half a million views.

Lee is among a growing number of Korean office workers turning to homemade lunches as restaurant prices climb. As the trend grows, an everyday necessity has also evolved into a creative outlet, with colorful, carefully arranged boxed lunches becoming a common sight on social media.

Boxed lunches are back

Dining-out prices have risen by around 25 percent over the past five years, according to the Korea Statistical Information Service.

The consumer price index for dining out stood at 124.56 in May, with 2020 set at 100. Several menu items recorded price increases of more than 30 percent within the period, including  jajangmyeon (black bean noodle) and galbitang (beef soup).

The rising cost of eating out has been prompting many office workers to bring back boxed lunch culture, a familiar sight in the 1970s and 1980s, when many workers routinely carried homemade meals before cafeterias and dining options became commonplace.

"I work near Seongsu, and it's hard to find a meal for less than 10,000 won," said Lee, who now packs her own homemade lunch. Seongsu-dong is a trendy neighborhood in eastern Seoul known for its high concentration of cafes and restaurants. 

She has also noticed more colleagues joining in lately. "There are more and more people packing lunch now," she said. "Sometimes, once or twice a week, they will say, 'Let's all bring lunch together.'"

The growing interest in packing lunch is also evident on the secondhand marketplace Karrot Market. Searches for the keywords "insulated lunch box" and "two-tier lunch box" rose 31 percent and 48 percent, respectively, in June compared to the same month last year, according to the data provided by the marketplace.

Another office worker who goes by the nickname Lee Chamoe said she has also noticed more office workers bringing their homemade lunches. 

The financial savings from packing her own lunch have also been substantial.

"When I first moved to Seoul, I bought lunch every day […], and I was spending almost 800,000 won a month on food," she said. She now spends 200,000 to 300,000 won. 

Boxed lunches become a canvas

For some, what began as a way to save money has evolved into a creative outlet.

The trend is also playing out online. More than 642,000 posts tagged "office worker boxed lunch" have been uploaded to Instagram, many of which showcase convenient yet visually appealing homemade meals.

Lee Young-jin's boxed lunches resemble carefully composed works of art. One day she prepares shrimp fried buckwheat noodles; another, aged kimchi-and-tuna gimbap. Each meal is neatly arranged with an eye for color and presentation.

Lee Chamoe, who also posts her pretty boxed lunches online, didn't care about the visual at first. 

"I'd just throw everything into the container and bring it to work," Lee Chamoe said. "But whenever someone told me my boxed lunch looks pretty, it made me really happy. That made me think, 'Maybe I should put a little more effort into it.'"

Over time, Lee Chamoe has developed what she calls her own "Tetris" method, fitting each side dish into place to make the meal look as appealing as possible.

While Lee Chamoe focuses on presentation, she also makes sure her boxed lunches are affordable and easy to follow. One of her most popular Reels, which has garnered more than 2.1 million views, features recipes for soy sauce fried egg rice balls.

Despite their polished appearance, efficiency is just as important to the creators.

Kim Byul-nim, who has over 50,000 followers on Instagram for her eye-catching boxed lunches, prepares her lunch in less than 30 minutes each morning.

"I used to prepare my lunch the night before, but in recent months, I switched to making it in the morning, and the recipes take less than 30 minutes," Kim said.

For 32-year-old office worker Kang Min-ah, mornings require even less effort with weekend meal prep.

"I just take the food out of the refrigerator and pack it into my boxed lunch in the morning, so it takes almost no time at all," Kang said. "Even the meal prep on the weekend takes only one or two hours."

Building a boxed lunch community

As homemade lunches become more common among young office workers, attention has also shifted beyond the food itself to the containers and bags that carry them.

Lifestyle brand Susuae, which specializes in lunch bags, has seen sales of its bags increase fivefold since August, founder Kim Bo-mi said.

"About 70 percent of our customers are office workers between the ages of 25 and 33," Kim said. "Among them, those who have just started working make up the largest share."

The growing interest in packing homemade lunches is also reflected in the popularity of a program run by the brand.

Susuae operates the "Lunchbox Routine" program, which provides participants with weekly ingredients and a lunch bag to encourage them to pack their own lunches throughout the week.

"We usually accept seven participants each round, but every time we open applications, more than 100 people sign up," Kim said. Most participants are office workers.

Participants are required to upload photos of their lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, "although many end up uploading photos on all five weekdays," Kim said.

Office worker Kang said she has a "boxed lunch group" at work, where colleagues bring homemade lunches and eat together.

"We show each other what we brought that day and sometimes try each other's food. At the same time, we respect each other's preferences. Some people prefer to eat alone, and that's perfectly fine too."

More than a midday meal

While saving money may have been the main reason many began making their own lunches, those who stick with it and find joy in creating well-presented boxed lunches say the rewards go well beyond the financial savings.

For Lee Young-jin, packing lunch each morning has become a small accomplishment that kick-starts her day.

"Once you start working full-time and become an adult, it's often difficult to see tangible results from what you do," Lee said. 

"But if I spend just 30 minutes every morning making lunch, I immediately have something tangible to show for it. That sense of accomplishment is incredibly satisfying."

Packing lunch has also given her back time.

"In the past, I'd spend my lunch break deciding what to eat, waiting for a table and then waiting for my food. Now I simply open my lunch box, and it takes less than 15 minutes. For the rest of the time, I will go for a walk, read a book, watch Reels or just rest."

For Kang, it has become part of self-care. "Preparing my lunch is ultimately a way of respecting myself. It's one of the ways I invest in my own life, so it actually feels harder to throw something together carelessly."

Lee Chamoe said packing lunch served as a way to break from the unspoken rule present in Korean companies.

"In Korean offices, you often feel like you should eat lunch with everyone else," Lee said.

In Korea, lunch is often seen as a time to socialize with co-workers, and many office workers feel subtle pressure to eat together. At some companies, employees eat together as a team, including their manager.

"But you have to be a little 'my way.' It was hard at first, and it can be hard in that kind of environment, but I still kept eating alone in 'my way.'"

 Lee's routine gradually spread throughout the office, with more of her colleagues joining her. "We'll just watch YouTube on our own phones while we eat."

"Homemade lunch gives you the courage to be by yourself. As an office worker, that's actually harder than it sounds. Since I started packing lunch, I feel like my life has become just a little bit better."

BY WOO JI-WON [[email protected]]