Mipung Haejang-guk, Jeju CityA Fiery, Punchy Hangover Soup Done Jeju-Style

Not usually a fan of punchy broths, but

Honestly, I don't naturally go for punchy, aggressive flavours. But this place hits a spot where the heat and that sharp edge overlap just right, and that combination is what makes me think of it whenever I'm back on Jeju.

I'm on Jeju for work three or four times a year, and every trip I set aside one meal for haejang-guk — hangover soup. Jeju hangover soup splits into two camps. One is gosari haejang-guk, thick with bracken fern and buckwheat flour. The other is the fiery, clear-red kind. The fern version isn't my thing, so I skip it.

I've worked through several of the fiery ones, and Mipung is my first pick. (Sanji Haejang-guk is second.)

The broth is fiery. As in the photo, it's loaded with spring onion, with bean sprouts, glass noodles and ground perilla seed on top. Stir in the dab of seasoning paste sitting on top and it gets hotter. I'd put the heat at about 4 out of 5.

You load it with grated garlic

Most Jeju hangover soups only come into their own once you add plenty of grated garlic. Don't be shy with the minced garlic on the table — stir a good amount in and the broth comes alive. Mipung is no exception.

What it looks like

The black earthenware pot is heaped with bean sprouts, green onion and sesame, and a dark seasoning sits in the middle, not yet stirred in. The broth looks pale and light rather than thick. Rice comes separately in a stainless bowl, two green chilies lie on a small plate, and a bowl of orange-colored broth comes alongside.

Would a foreign visitor enjoy it?

Honestly, I'm not sure. It's a fiery, aggressive broth, and if you can't take heat it may be a struggle.

Still, a Jeju-style hangover soup is worth trying once. It's a different animal from the haejang-guk you get in Seoul, and it's a meal that makes it feel like you've actually arrived on Jeju.

Who this suits

• ✅ You like a fiery, punchy broth
• ✅ You need a meal to settle your stomach in the morning, or the day after drinking, on Jeju
• ✅ You prefer the clear, fiery style over the thick bracken-fern one
• ⚠️ You can't eat spicy food — even without stirring in the seasoning paste, the base is fiery
• ⚠️ You're hoping for a mild, mellow broth

Before you go

• Getting there — Jeju City, Jeju. Mipung has several branches, so check that you're heading to the main one.
• Hours · prices · closing day — open 5am-3pm, haejang-guk runs 11,000 KRW (as of Aug 2026). Hangover soup places often open before dawn; check the map or call before you go, since this can shift.
• How to eat it — mix the rice into the soup or eat it separately, whichever you like. Go heavy on the grated garlic.
• After you're settled — if your day stretches west, Geumneung Beach out in Hallim is a quiet place to unwind.