Bread with a thin crust and a filling packed with ingredients. It is not easy to maintain its original form, yet it has steadfastly endured for 60 years with an unchanging taste. Starting as Samsong Confectionery in Daegu's Nammun Market in 1957, Samsong Bakery is currently spreading the taste and value of this local pastry across the nation through its corporate brand, Samsong BNC. Samsong Bakery has changed the perception that bread is unhealthy and has expanded the potential and capabilities of local bakeries. Even now, adhering to its unique recipes and flavors without losing its essence, it holds its ground with an attitude that is sometimes soft and flexible.

Samsong Bakery, which is run by CEO Park Seong-wook as the third generation, first started in 1957 at Daegu Nammun Market under the name 'Samsong Confectionery.' I am curious about the background behind the opening of Samsong Bakery.

My grandfather started Samsong Confectionery, the predecessor of Samsong Bakery, in Nammun Market with a total of five items. He fled from the North during the Korean War, spending time traveling between Seoul and Daegu before finally settling in Daegu. He didn't possess any special baking skills himself; he reportedly received help from a relative who was a baker. My father also began learning to bake immediately after graduating from middle school. Bakeries that everyone has likely heard of—such as Kim Young-mo Confectionery, London Confectionery, New York Confectionery, and Stellar Confectionery—all started in Daegu around that time. Many of Daegu's old bakeries have disappeared, and Samsong Bakery is one of the few remaining. We have relocated twice; first from Nammun Market to Seomun Market, and after a fire broke out there, we moved to our current main branch in Dongseong-ro, where we have now established ourselves.

It seems you have many memories associated with Samsong Bakery, which your grandfather and father carried on as a family business.

We always baked bread ourselves at home, and as the eldest son, I had to help with the baking, partly by choice and partly by circumstance. When I was in elementary, middle, and high school—that is, when Samsong Bakery was at its peak—the day I hated the most was Christmas. The staff couldn't even go home for a week; they would rent nearby inns and bake thousands of loaves of bread and cakes every day. While December is a month of festivity for others, for our family, it was a month of nothing but work, frantically making bread and cakes without rest. Looking back, even though those times were tough, I realize how wonderful they were, so they remain as cherished memories.

I understand that the whole corn bread, which is particularly popular, was launched by CEO Park Seong-wook after much deliberation. I am curious about the background behind the creation of the whole corn bread and the manufacturing process.

It was around 1985 that the whole corn bread itself was introduced to Korea. We perfected the current taste and form of the bread by modifying the recipe several times in Samsong Bakery's unique way, taking the generally known version and adapting it. We made subtle changes and experiments to reflect new trends while maintaining the traditional flavor, and we plan to continue managing the whole corn bread strictly as Samsong Bakery's signature item. While typical whole corn bread is filled with vegetables, we were already making and selling vegetable croquettes at the time, so we needed something different. Our idea for the whole corn bread was to go for a fresher approach. We experimented with ingredients that would go well together, such as corn, cheese, and mayonnaise, until we found the optimal ratio. The special sauce and toppings, which harmonize well with the whole corn kernels filling the bread and providing a satisfying chew, are also key elements that complete the taste of the whole corn bread. For the special sauce, the most important thing is to carefully blend various ingredients and adjust the proportions to achieve the best, ideal flavor we envision. In addition, the topping on the bread has a texture somewhere between a cookie and a cream type, and its sweet taste creates a great pairing with the bread's filling.

If you were to introduce your favorite bread?

It is definitely red bean bread. I like red beans, but I also made the red bean paste myself when I was in elementary school. We boiled the beans with sugar and water in a pot for five or six hours, and I kept stirring it with a wooden spatula. Especially back in the day, on Labor Day, we used to receive thousands of orders for red bean bread from places like factory complexes. Perhaps because of those memories, it is a bread that I hold a special affection for personally.

Samsong Bakery is a confectionery brand that possesses solid brand power alongside its image as a "bakery of nostalgia." It is certainly not an easy task to expand scale while maintaining the unique taste of Samsong Bakery bread that has been upheld for so long. What efforts are you making to strengthen the brand power of Samsong BNC?

We are continuously refining recipes for our existing menu to carefully reflect current trends while preserving the unique flavor of our bread. In addition, we are planning to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Cheongdo. We aim to foster mutual growth between regions by maximizing the use of local ingredients, such as onions, chives, garlic, and pumpkins, which are supplied entirely through contract farming in Cheongdo. We are committed to supporting regional values in any way possible. Furthermore, we have signed a business agreement with Vietnam's MESA Group and are preparing to expand into the Vietnamese market. We plan to introduce a selection of individual items rather than our entire domestic menu.

I understand that you were born and raised in Daegu. As a native of Daegu, what kind of city is it to you?

Fundamentally, Daegu is famous for its dining industry. There are numerous Daegu natives among those who launched first and second-generation franchise food brands; a prime example is the chicken brand that started as a small local shop and expanded nationwide. Similarly, many bakers were born and raised in Daegu before starting their careers. Recently, along with the "Daegu 10 Delicacies," well-established food alleys have also been created. As such, the city is filled with restaurants brimming with unique character and charm. I believe that Daegu people tend to be independent and unwilling to lose. I think it is thanks to these factors that Daegu has developed into its current state.

Given that it has spanned over 60 years, we look forward to the future of Samsong Bakery. We are curious to know what CEO Park Seong-wook envisions for Samsong Bakery; please tell us about your future plans.

I believe bread is a comprehensive art form. Even within the field of confectionery, there are many detailed subdivisions. While I believe it takes 30 to 40 years to master everything about bread, I think that in today's era, one can choose a field they excel at and establish themselves successfully with a single menu item, utilizing their own unique sensibility. Every brand has its own distinct role and function. In this regard, Samsong BNC intends to protect its own role and domain while fostering the capabilities and expertise of local bakeries, while continuing the honest taste of bread that we have upheld until now. We will strive to maintain a consistent bread taste by introducing franchising to Samsong Bakery, which has previously operated exclusively through directly managed stores, and by reinforcing our technical capabilities alongside the establishment of a manufacturing plant.

What is the most important value for CEO Park Seong-wook when making bread?

My father always used to say that the biggest factors determining the taste of bread are none other than "good ingredients" and "honesty." If you use good ingredients honestly and also possess the technical expertise, the bread simply cannot be bad. Furthermore, it is important to maintain a mindset of not losing sight of the basics and your original intentions. Although the price of ingredients has skyrocketed over the past few years, we have not raised the price of our bread for 10 years. Just as Samsong Bakery began as a cozy bakery frequented by the people of the Nammun Market area, I hope that Samsong Bakery will continue to be, now and in the future, a place where everyone, regardless of age or gender, can enjoy delicious bread comfortably.

Maker's Pick

3 Samsong Bakery Bestsellers Recommended by CEO Park Seong-wook

Walnut red bean bread

This bread is generously filled with a mixture of savory walnuts and sweet red bean paste, and its thin crust allows you to fully appreciate the flavor of the ingredients. It is also a bread imbued with CEO Park Seong-wook's childhood memories, as he reportedly made the red bean paste himself at home in the past. It is said that while the red beans were boiled in a pot with sugar and water for five to six hours, CEO Park, then an elementary school student, would continuously stir the mixture with a wooden spatula for hours.

Vegetable croquettes

Introduced in 2008, this is Korea's first oven-baked croquette rather than a fried one. It is the pioneering product that made Samsong Bakery widely known and remains a firmly established best-selling item to this day. Packed with fresh vegetables, it offers a light and exquisite taste that is not greasy. With a wide variety of options including vegetable, chili, kimchi, and Korean beef, there is the fun of choosing your favorite.

whole corn bread

This is Samsong Bakery's signature bread, flavored with whole corn and a special sauce. The optimal ratio was found after experimenting with compatible ingredients such as corn, cheese, and mayonnaise. The topping is also a key element in completing the taste of the Whole Corn Bread. The topping, with a texture somewhere between a cookie and a cream, creates a perfect harmony with the bread's filling.