A Korean sweet
Dalgona, a traditional
Korean sugar candy
Melt sugar and add a little baking soda, and the mixture puffs up into a golden candy with a sweet, toasted aroma. This is dalgona: a traditional Korean treat with a caramel flavor and a light, crisp texture.
Waiting for candy outside the school gate. Carefully cutting out a stamped shape. For generations of Koreans, dalgona brings back childhood memories.
Read more · VisitKorea
01 · Since the 1950s
A street-corner sweet.
A lasting memory.
The exact origin of dalgona is uncertain. Photographs taken by James Johnson, a U.S. soldier stationed in Daegu from 1953 to 1955, show that dalgona stalls were already part of the city.
As sugar became more widely available in the 1960s, dalgona and ppopgi spread. By the 1970s and 1980s they were familiar treats outside schools and in neighborhood streets.
Dalgona, ppopgi, ttigi, ttegi, gukja and jjokja: the candy’s many regional names reflect its widespread popularity.
Glucose-based dalgona and sugar-based ppopgi were once distinct treats. Today, dalgona also commonly means the stamped sugar candy made for the shape-cutting game.
Read more · National Folk Museum / KOCIS · 2024.03
02 · How it is made
A spoonful of sugar.
A moment of transformation.
- MeltStir sugar in a ladle over heat until it melts, turns golden and develops a caramel aroma.
- Let it riseMix in a little baking soda and watch the candy puff up.
- Press and stampPour onto a metal surface, press flat and stamp a shape before the candy sets.
Read more · KOCIS · 2024.03 / National Folk Museum
03 · The ppopgi game
A sweet to savor.
A challenge to master.
The challenge is to cut out the stamped shape without breaking it. Using a needle and a steady hand, players carefully follow the outline of a star, circle or other shape.
A successful attempt could earn another candy or a small prize. The simple game turned a sugar sweet into a test of patience, concentration and skill.
Circle · Triangle · Star · Umbrella
Read more · National Folk Museum / Netflix Tudum
04 · The world discovers dalgona, 2021
From Squid Game
to streets around the world
When the dalgona challenge appeared in Netflix’s Squid Game in 2021, a familiar Korean childhood game found a worldwide audience. Players had to remove a circle, triangle, star or umbrella without cracking it.
People in many countries began making the candy and trying the challenge. The photograph shows a dalgona stall in Taipei in 2021: a Korean street treat becoming a shared cultural experience beyond Korea.
Read more · Netflix Tudum / KOCIS · 2024.03
05 · Golden Dalgona by Cheongwon Food
The traditional taste.
A new texture.
Drawing on two generations of candy-making experience, Cheongwon Food brings the familiar flavor of dalgona to a lollipop. Golden Dalgona captures the sweet, toasted taste of this traditional Korean treat.
Cheongwon Food has explored both hard and soft textures in developing Golden Dalgona. To discuss texture, shape or packaging requirements, contact our team.
The 50-piece pack sold in South Korea is made in China and imported by Cheongwon Food.
Product development
A difficult time.
A new beginning.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, trade and distribution slowed, making production and sales difficult. With the company’s future at stake, the second-generation owner pursued a new manufacturing approach and product: Golden Dalgona Candy.
About three years of equipment development
Existing machinery could not meet every requirement of the new product. Cheongwon Food spent about three years developing manufacturing equipment that brings traditional flavor together with new technology.
Production partnerships and global businessThe pack
The 50-piece pack sold in South Korea
- Product
- Golden Dalgona / DALGONA LOLLIPOP
- Pack
- 13 g × 50 pieces, 650 g total. PP bag and PP stick.
- Origin
- China
- Manufacturer
- GANZHOU KEMAISI FOOD CO., LTD.
- Head Office in South Korea
- Cheongwon Food
17-42, Pyeonghwa-ro 1429beon-gil,
Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea - Ingredients
- Sugar, starch syrup, sodium bicarbonate
- Storage
- Store in a cool place, away from direct sunlight
- Allergens
- Made in a facility that also handles peaches, soy, wheat, tomatoes and milk
- Nutrition
- Per 13 g: 52 kcal, sodium 15.1 mg, carbohydrate 12.9 g, sugars 11 g, fat 0 g, trans fat 0 g, saturated fat 0 g, cholesterol 0 mg, protein 0 g
These specifications apply to the pack sold in South Korea. For other markets or packaging formats, contact us to confirm the applicable product details. The printed use-by date applies to that production batch.
Production in China
Preparation and trial production in China
Cheongwon Food is preparing production facilities and making trial batches with a manufacturing partner in China. We continue to assess quality, texture and production conditions during this process.