Kim Eugene, a vegan of seven years, lights a candle on a vegan cake to celebrate a birthday of a fellow vegan friend. / Courtesy of Kim Eugene |
In a country where vegetarians baffle many, it is slowly becoming a new trend
By Kim Bo-eun
For 50-year-old Lee Won-bok, who has lived as a vegan for more than two decades, not eating meat, eggs and dairy products has become as natural as breathing.
He makes his own kimchi without fish sauce, which is accompanied by other vegetable-based dishes such as doenjang jjigae (bean paste stew) when he eats at home.
When he decides to eat out, he orders vegetable kimbap or jjolmyeon, but will make sure to take the egg and fish cake out. Porridge made from vegetables such as pumpkin or red beans are other options, while a few vegetarian restaurants offer him a chance to eat out.
If there are others accompanying him, he will usually order a bowl of rice and eat the vegetable-only side dishes. While it isn't the best scenario, Lee says he has become accustomed to it.
Better geared toward a growing number
Lee was a college student when it occurred to him that he didn't want to eat meat anymore, because he opposed the idea of killing animals for consumption.
This was a time before the Internet and there was a sparse number of books on the subject, let alone restaurants or people with whom he could network. He recalls that he "felt like an uninhabited island in the vast ocean."
Over the past two decades, however, Lee says life has become much easier for vegetarians, with online communities that share a host of information, countless books and a growing number of restaurants and businesses catering to them.
Vegetarian eateries have definitely become more visible in Seoul in recent years. As of January, there were about 50 vegetarian restaurants and up to 80 places that offer vegetarian dishes, according to the Korean Vegetarian Union's website.
In Korea, where the number of vegetarians remains a tiny minority, it would be fair to say that the greater accessibility to vegetarian food is largely due to a growing interest in leading a healthy lifestyle.
There is no official estimate of the number of vegetarians in the country, but the Korean Vegetarian Union believes 1 percent of the population are vegetarians, compared to the United States' 5-7 percent, the United Kingdom's 12 percent and Taiwan's 15 percent.
However, 1 percent of the 50 million population amounts to 500,000, which seems like a surprisingly high number. Lee says that figure, rather than representing those who are strict vegetarians, encompasses pesco vegetarians who eat fish and others who simply prefer and try to pursue vegetable-based diets.
A look at various online communities shows that the Korean Vegetarian Union has around 25,000 members while "Hanulvut" on the portal site Naver has some 14,000 members that visit the site regularly. Based on those figures, those in the community estimate that there are about 20,000 vegetarians in the country.
Vegetarian diets include ovo vegetarianism that allows eggs, lacto vegetarianism that allows dairy products, ovo-lacto vegetarianism that allows both and veganism that excludes both. There is also raw veganism, as well as pure veganism that exclude the five pungent spices of garlic, scallions, onions, chives and wild chives.
Vegetarians have various reasons behind their choice, such as protecting the environment and animal rights as well as health and religious beliefs. Online communities and various offline gatherings share and acquire tips on leading such a minority lifestyle in Korea.
Members of the Korean Vegetarian Union campaign against eating chickes in front of KFC in Myeong-dong, central Seoul last September. / Courtesy of Korean Vegetarian Union |