Chungbuk Oil Mill Sesame Oil Guide: Why Fresh K-Sesame Oil Became a Jungbu Market Stop

Chungbuk Oil Mill sesame oil has become one of the most talked-about food-shopping stops inside Seoul’s Jungbu Market area. The appeal is specific: visitors can order sesame oil or perilla oil in the amount they want, watch it pressed on the spot, and take it home bottled fresh. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that Chungbuk Oil Mill in Jung-gu, Seoul, has drawn attention from Japanese tourists for this made-to-order pressing style, with nearly 200 Japanese visitors on busy days after online word of mouth spread. ¹

For travelers searching for K-Sesame Oil, this is not mainly a souvenir trend built around packaging. The draw is the process, the aroma, and the sense of buying oil directly from a traditional market producer rather than from a supermarket shelf.

What Makes Chungbuk Oil Mill Sesame Oil Different

The core buying experience is simple: sesame seeds or perilla seeds are roasted, pressed after the order is placed, and then poured into bottles. Nongmin Shinmun described this order-after-roasting-and-pressing approach as a fresh experience for Japanese tourists, especially because visitors can see the oil being prepared rather than simply choosing a finished product. ²

That freshness is central to why the shop has traveled so quickly through Japanese blogs, Instagram posts, and online communities. The Fact reported from Chungbuk Oil Mill in the Jungbu dried seafood market area on May 19, 2026, noting that many Japanese tourists had found the shop through Instagram and similar channels. ³

The shop’s flavor profile is also part of the appeal. Choi Sung-hwan of Chungbuk Oil Mill explained the house approach this way: “Our style is to roast less and steam for a long time at low temperature to bring out taste and aroma.” ³ In practical terms, shoppers should understand that the reported point of difference is not just “stronger sesame smell,” but a method associated with lighter roasting and lower-temperature preparation.

Several reports also connect the popularity to comparison with Japanese sesame oil. Hankyung reported that Japanese singer Rino Sashihara helped amplify interest after featuring the oil on YouTube and eating it with ramen; she was quoted as saying that freshly pressed Korean sesame oil has a completely different aroma and flavor from ordinary Japanese products. ⁴

How to Approach a Visit or Purchase

The available reports do not provide a full official shopping manual, so readers should avoid assuming fixed prices, exact bottle sizes, or guaranteed queue times from the source material alone. What is supported is that Japanese blogs and social media have been sharing details such as capacity, price, ordering tips, and packaging information, while the shop itself has become a route for visitors who want fresh sesame oil and perilla oil from the market. ⁴

A practical way to think about the visit is to prepare for an active market purchase rather than a quick convenience-store stop. The product is described as being pressed to order, which means the key value is freshness, but the same process can also mean waiting when the shop is busy. Reports from Kyunghyang Shinmun and Nongmin Shinmun both describe traffic approaching 200 Japanese visitors a day at peak levels, so a buyer should allow time rather than treating it as a last-minute airport errand. ^{1 2}

The visitor profile is also useful for understanding the scene. Nongmin Shinmun reported that many visitors are women in their 20s through 50s, while Wikitree noted that younger travelers and students have also been visiting and that sesame oil and perilla oil are often purchased as gifts. ^{2 5}

If buying as a gift, the source-backed strengths to explain are straightforward: fresh pressing, low-temperature roasting as reported for Chungbuk Oil Mill, and the market-made character of the product. Wikitree also pointed to perilla oil’s health-food image as one reason interest has grown, though the article does not provide medical claims or nutrition data. ⁵

Why the Trend Spread Beyond One Shop

Chungbuk Oil Mill is the focus, but the trend has also affected the surrounding market lane. The Fact reported that nearby oil shops have responded with small bottles and even perilla oil ice cream, widening tourist movement beyond a single storefront. ³

ChannelA News also described traditional market oil mills as emerging stops for Japanese tourists, emphasizing the appeal of sesame oil pressed that day and bottled in glass, with some oil mills adding Japanese-speaking staff as Japanese visitor numbers increased. ⁶

This matters for visitors because it suggests two things. First, Chungbuk Oil Mill may be the best-known name in this particular wave, but the broader market environment is adapting to food tourists. Second, buyers looking for K-Sesame Oil should pay attention to the actual production method and freshness claims at each shop rather than assuming every bottle in the area is the same.

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Patrick Choi

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