Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Guk: Everyday & Cold Soups

Updated June 11, 2026

The morning and birthday soups of the Korean home table and the vinegared cold soups that carry a Korean summer: seaweed, radish, dried pollock, the seasonal greens, and the naengguk family served cold enough to fog the spoon.

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Daseulgi-guk (Freshwater Snail Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Daseulgi-guk (Freshwater Snail Soup)

Tiny freshwater snails boiled, picked, and returned to a pale green broth with tender greens, the Chungcheong soup that asks for patience before it gives comfort.

Maesaengi-guk (Seaweed and Oyster Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Maesaengi-guk (Seaweed and Oyster Soup)

A quiet southern winter soup of fine green maesaengi and oysters, seasoned with restraint so the seaweed stays silky, the broth stays clean, and the table is warned before the first spoon.

Ssuk-guk (Mugwort Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Ssuk-guk (Mugwort Soup)

The first soup of Korean spring: tender young mugwort stirred into a light doenjang broth, with rice water softening the edges so the green still tastes like itself.

Ugeoji-guk (Cabbage Leaf Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Ugeoji-guk (Cabbage Leaf Soup)

The soup made from cabbage leaves other cooks throw away, parboiled until tender, rubbed with doenjang and garlic, then simmered until the broth tastes deep and plain.

Naengi-guk (Shepherd's Purse Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Naengi-guk (Shepherd's Purse Soup)

The soup that tastes like spring arriving: shepherd's purse, roots and leaves together, simmered briefly in a clean anchovy-doenjang broth so the green still tastes like itself.

Muk-naengguk (Cold Acorn Jelly Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Muk-naengguk (Cold Acorn Jelly Soup)

Trembling acorn jelly in a cold anchovy-kelp broth, sharpened with kimchi brine and vinegar, then finished with cucumber, toasted gim, and sesame for a summer bowl that eats like soup and snack together.

Sigeumchi-doenjang-guk (Spinach Soybean Paste Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Sigeumchi-doenjang-guk (Spinach Soybean Paste Soup)

A quiet weeknight guk of spinach and doenjang, where the broth stays light, the greens keep their sweetness, and the cook learns restraint by measuring the paste.

Jaecheop-guk (Marsh Clam Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Jaecheop-guk (Marsh Clam Soup)

Tiny marsh clams give this southern Korean soup its pale, clean broth; salt and a last fistful of chives are enough when the clams have been purged and boiled correctly.

Aehobak-guk (애호박국, Korean Zucchini Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Aehobak-guk (애호박국, Korean Zucchini Soup)

A clean summer soup of Korean zucchini and salted shrimp, built on quick anchovy-kelp broth and finished before the half-moons lose their shape on a weeknight table.

Miyeok-guk (Seaweed Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Miyeok-guk (Seaweed Soup)

The seaweed soup eaten by new mothers and served again every birthday, gentle enough for recovery, plain enough for a weeknight, and exact enough to cook twice.

Oi-naengguk (Cold Cucumber Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Oi-naengguk (Cold Cucumber Soup)

Slivered cucumber in a cold vinegar-soy broth, sharpened just enough to wake the rice beside it, served with ice, sesame, and scallion when summer makes cooking feel foolish.

Ureokjeot-guk (Semi-Dried Rockfish Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Ureokjeot-guk (Semi-Dried Rockfish Soup)

A clear Seosan soup built from wind-dried rockfish and salted shrimp, where rice water softens the salt and the half-dried fish gives the broth its clean depth.

Geundae-doenjang-guk (근대된장국, Chard Soybean Paste Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Geundae-doenjang-guk (근대된장국, Chard Soybean Paste Soup)

A thin, mild doenjang broth carrying Swiss chard and tofu, the weeknight soup that asks for restraint: strip the tough stems, simmer the leaves briefly, and stop before the green disappears.

Bugeo-guk (Dried Pollock Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Bugeo-guk (Dried Pollock Soup)

The pale morning soup Koreans trust after a hard night, dried pollock sweated in sesame oil, then simmered in rice water until the broth turns milky and clean.

Kongnamul-guk (Soybean Sprout Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Kongnamul-guk (Soybean Sprout Soup)

A clean, quick soybean sprout soup built on anchovy-kelp broth and one strict rule: keep the lid on the whole time, or off the whole time, and do not peek.

Gyeran-guk (Korean Egg Drop Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Gyeran-guk (Korean Egg Drop Soup)

The two-minute soup Korean children know by heart: beaten egg poured into a clear anchovy broth, left alone just long enough to set in soft ribbons.

Siraegi-guk (Dried Radish Green Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Siraegi-guk (Dried Radish Green Soup)

Dried radish greens made tender by patience, peeled clean by hand, then simmered in a restrained doenjang broth until thrift becomes a bowl of winter comfort.

Sungeo-guk (Grey Mullet Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Sungeo-guk (Grey Mullet Soup)

A clear Pyongyang soup built around grey mullet, cleaned with care, simmered gently with radish, and finished with salt and black pepper so the fish stays sweet and the broth stays bright.

Kongguk (Cold Soy Milk Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Kongguk (Cold Soy Milk Soup)

A summer bowl of chilled soybean milk, thick enough to coat the spoon, plain enough to show your hand, boiled only until the skins slip and seasoned after chilling.

Umu-naengguk (우무냉국, Cold Agar Jelly Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Umu-naengguk (우무냉국, Cold Agar Jelly Soup)

Long slivers of agar jelly in a clear soy-vinegar broth, served icy with cucumber and sesame; a quiet summer bowl where the knife work matters more than the stove.

Miyeok-naengguk (Cold Seaweed Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Miyeok-naengguk (Cold Seaweed Soup)

A summer bowl of softened miyeok and crisp cucumber in a clean, vinegared broth, the cold cousin of birthday soup and one of the quickest comforts on a Korean table.

Ojingeo-muguk (Squid and Radish Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Ojingeo-muguk (Squid and Radish Soup)

A clean Korean squid and radish soup for weeknights, built on sweet winter mu and a quick anchovy-kelp broth, with the squid added at the end before it turns tough.

Sogogi-muguk (Korean Beef and Radish Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Sogogi-muguk (Korean Beef and Radish Soup)

The clear home soup that asks for sweet Korean radish, a little beef, and patience; the mu turns translucent and gives the broth its quiet strength.

Auk-guk (Mallow Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Auk-guk (Mallow Soup)

Late-summer mallow leaves rubbed with salt until the bitter green water runs off, then simmered in a clean doenjang broth with dried shrimp, the quiet soup a Korean weeknight deserves.

Kongnamul-naengguk (Cold Soybean Sprout Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Kongnamul-naengguk (Cold Soybean Sprout Soup)

A cold Korean soup built from the water the soybean sprouts cooked in, chilled hard and seasoned lightly so the broth stays clean, nutty, and sharp enough for summer rice.

Gaji-naengguk (Cold Eggplant Soup) - Chef Jeong-sun

Chef Jeong-sun

Gaji-naengguk (Cold Eggplant Soup)

A summer bowl for the nights when the rice is hot but the table needs cooling: steamed eggplant strips, chilled fast, floating in a sharp soy-vinegar broth.

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