Convenience store chain Seven Eleven said on the 27th that it will launch a "Si-kyung Pick Seasonal Bibimbap Series" with singer Sung Si-kyung on the 2nd of next month.
Sung, known in the entertainment industry as a food connoisseur, agreed to the partnership after sampling the new bibimbap line in advance. The company said he also took part in several tastings and personally reviewed the products after being named as the campaign's model.
The first release consists of three items using radish and bellflower root, both autumn seasonal ingredients: Special Soy Sauce Autumn Radish Bibimbap (5,200 won), Special Ssamjang Bulgogi Bibimbap (5,200 won) and Jeonju Beef Bibimbap (4,700 won).
The products use specially made sauces, including cheongyang pepper soy sauce, clam-broth ssamjang and sun-dried red pepper paste, and feature domestic seasonal ingredients that are stir-fried in-house. The series will be released as limited editions each season using ingredients then in season.
"We chose bibimbap as a key growth model in light of rising demand for healthy food and convenient single meals, along with the growing number of foreign tourists," a Seven Eleven official said. "We will lead the convenience store lunchbox market by an overwhelming margin, appealing to all age groups at home and abroad."
Seven Eleven is also running promotions to mark the launch. For one month starting next month, customers paying with an NH Nonghyup Card can buy the three bibimbap items at a 25% discount. Through the 8th of next month, buyers of either of two items — Jeonju-style Beef Bibimbap or Special Autumn Radish Bibimbap — will receive a free Paldo Doshirak instant noodle cup or a Seven Select Nemomae 70% bottled water.
