The Sungsimdang Cultural Center Opens In Daejeon The City Of Bread

"Sungsimdang" is a must-see tourist site in Daejeon and one of the country's finest bakeries.

Sungsimdang is a well-known bakery that has been passed down through three generations, with the ‘Twi-so’ being the most popular. The signature bread of Sungsimdang is Twi-so which is cooked to a crisp on the exterior with red bean paste that everyone enjoys packed within. The name was changed from Soboro Donuts to Twi-so when customers began calling them that.

Sungsimdang's history stretches back to the 1950s. On December 24, 1950, during the Korean War, the late Professor Lim Gil-soon and his family boarded the evacuation ship 'Meredith Victory' and arrived on Geoje Island. Lim's fate was upturned in 1956 when the train broke down at Daejeon Station as he was boarding the Tongil-ho to relocate to Seoul.

Because they had nowhere else to go, the family went to Daeheung-dong Cathedral near Daejeon Station and told the priest there. The priest, moved by their plight, handed them two bags of flour. Mr. Lim took a bag of flour, put a Sungsimdang sign in front of Daejeon Station, and began selling steamed bread. It was then when Sungsimdang and practice of donating leftover bread after selling, Sungsimdang, which began in 1956, calmed the hunger of locals who were unable to fulfill their meals in the wake of the Korean War. It has been giving out bread to the economically disadvantaged since 1956.

On May 1, Sungsimdang, which has been operating for 66 years, formally launched the "Sungsimdang Cultural Center" to the delight of individuals across the nation.

By renovating the existing old gosiwon (accommodation for examiners), the Sungsimdang Cultural Center has been transformed into a complex cultural center consisting of a café, souvenir shops, and exhibition space in a five-story structure with a basement level. Under the theme 'Enjoying life with Sungsimdang 's bread', you can purchase organic, eco-friendly, vegan groceries and keepsakes from Sungsimdang at the Echo Shop on the first floor. You may discover recycled and reformed items on the second floor, such as 'Tusso Soap' manufactured by refining soybean oil after frying soybean paste, and pouches and tote bags made from recycled waste banners and grain sacks. On the third and fourth floors, the 'Echo Lounge', a pop-up experience space, awaits new visitors.

It is a flexible pop-up space that holds solo exhibits by local artists, book clubs, exhibitions, and performances. Under the theme 'Current Connection: Linking Time,' you may view and experience the story of the ship, 'Meredith Victory,' which the founders of Sungsimdang boarded in 1950 when they evacuated from Heungnam. Along with Sungsimdang's reputation, the announcement that the bakery has opened a Cultural Center has piqued the curiosity of not just Koreans, but also foreign tourists from other nations.