{"id":50308,"date":"2023-02-15T15:00:51","date_gmt":"2023-02-15T14:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/?p=50308"},"modified":"2026-07-24T11:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T02:39:13","slug":"eating-gluten-free-in-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/blog\/eating-gluten-free-in-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"Your guide to gluten-free in Korea: 5 easy options"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Latest update: July 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eating gluten-free in Korea is not easy at all because celiac disease is not widespread in the country, so there is little attention paid to this condition. However, <\/span>finding gluten-free dishes is not impossible<\/b>. In fact, rice, meat, fish, and vegetables abound in Korea. One just has to make sure that they are not prepared together with other ingredients containing gluten.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, let’s look at some foods that will allow you to eat gluten-free in Korea as well!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"yachae<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Eating gluten-free in Korea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Yachae bibimbap (\uc57c\ucc44 \ube44\ube54\ubc25)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yachae bibimbap<\/span><\/i>, i.e., bibimbap (<\/span>\ube44\ube54\ubc25<\/span>) with vegetables (<\/span>\uc57c\ucc44<\/span>), is a <\/span>rice dish with topping of different vegetables<\/b>. They tend not to be cooked in soy sauce (which contains gluten), but just in case, you can always specify that you cannot eat it and to prepare it without it. You can use the expression:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\uc800\ub294<\/b> \uac04\uc7a5\uc744<\/b> \ubabb<\/b> \uba39\ub294\ub370<\/b> \uac04\uc7a5<\/b> \uc5c6\uc774<\/b> \ub9cc\ub4e4<\/b> \uc218<\/b> \uc788\uc5b4\uc694<\/b>?
\n<\/b>Jeoneun ganjangeul mot meogneunde ganjang eobshi mandeul su isseoyo?
\n<\/span><\/i>I can’t eat soy sauce. Can you remove soy sauce\/not put soy sauce in the food?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of the bibimpap you can also choose whether or not to put a fried egg in the center. Important, however, is not to take the version of bibimbap with meat. It would in fact be bulgogi, which is beef marinated in soy sauce. Finally, it is better to also specify not to put chili paste. Sometimes it is served separately, while for many others, it is already put directly on the plate. So you can just ask the workers to serve without it: <\/span>\uace0\ucd94\uc7a5<\/span> \uc5c6\uc774<\/span> \uc8fc\uc138\uc694<\/span> (<\/span>gochujang eobshi juseyo<\/span><\/i>).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Eating<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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2. Samgyeopsal (\uc0bc\uacb9\uc0b4) and moksal (\ubaa9\uc0b4)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Samgyeopsal<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>moksal<\/span><\/i> are <\/span>pork cuts to be grilled<\/b> that are usually served raw and are then cooked directly by diners on a grill in the center of the table. They are generally never marinated beforehand, and by seeing the meat already when it is raw, you can be sure of what you are about to eat. Be careful, however, not to assume that you can eat everything in Korean barbecue cuisine. In fact, not all meat to be grilled is served unmarinated. In fact, another type of meat often found at Korean barbecue and it is called <\/span>yangnyeom-galbi<\/span><\/i> (<\/span>\uc591\ub150\uac08\ube44<\/span>) and is marinated in a sauce that contains soy and therefore gluten. We therefore recommend playing it safe with samgyeopsal or moksal to eat 100% gluten-free in Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Kimbap (\uae40\ubc25)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kimbap is a roll of <\/span>seaweed stuffed with rice<\/b> and other ingredients. The filling to be included in addition to rice is varied and can contain with or without gluten. The most common types of kimbap that are definitely gluten-free in Korea are <\/span>yachae kimpap<\/span><\/i> (<\/span>\uc57c\ucc44<\/span> \uae40\ubc25<\/span>) and <\/span>chamchi kimpap<\/span><\/i> (<\/span>\ucc38\uce58<\/span> \uae40\ubc25<\/span>), with vegetables and tuna, respectively. In any case, we recommend that you always take a look at the ingredients and choose those that suit your needs, but perhaps avoid meat that may have been marinated in soy sauce previously.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Samgyetang<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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4. Korean soups<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Meat soups<\/b> are quite common in Korean cuisine. Some of them also contain noodles, but you can always ask not to put them in (“<\/span>\uba74<\/span> \uc5c6\uc774<\/span> \uc8fc\uc138\uc694”<\/span>, <\/span>myeon eobshi juseyo<\/span><\/i>). One example is gomtang<\/em> (<\/span>\uacf0\ud0d5<\/span>), a soup prepared from various parts of beef. Another very tasty and nutritious soup, however, is <\/span>samgyetang<\/span><\/i> (<\/span>\uc0bc\uacc4\ud0d5<\/span>), made with chicken, rice, ginseng and jujubes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Cakes and bakeries<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How can we resist sweet treats? While most desserts contain gluten, it doesn’t mean you can’t find anything gluten-free in Korea. If you’re living in or travelling around Korea, these are some popular places worth checking out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seoul<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n