First came tanghulu, then malatang, and now Yoajung takes the throne as the latest flavor craze in Korea’s ever-evolving food scene. Sungchan, a member of the K-pop group RIIZE, first introduced the dessert to the public in the summer of 2024, and subsequently, it went viral for its diversity in toppings.
Yoajung (Standard of yogurt ice cream, 요거트 아이스크림의 정석) tops the search results of 배달의민족, a food delivery application, which showcased its demand from dessert enthusiasts, streamers, and celebrities.
Under the motto “Eat fresh, Eat healthy,” the brand aims to capture both health and taste with one dessert. Yoajung allows customers to pick and choose from a plethora of toppings, from 10 fruits, 30 cereals and crackers, and different drizzles such as hardened liquid chocolate.
To hop onto the trend, I tried their collaboration menu with Crayon Shin-chan, a Japanese cartoon. Covered with chocolate wafers, Maltesers, mango pearls, Oreo O’s cereal and cornflakes, the yogurt ice cream at the bottom seemed out of reach.
The toppings tasted no different from supermarket snacks, but the mango pearls caught my attention. The texture reminded me of the pearls in boba tea, and the mild tang resembled unsweetened mango juice. The chocolate shell also blended well with the flavor of the yogurt ice cream. Despite this, the sour yogurt ice cream tasted noticeably different from well-known ice cream brands and didn’t quite suit my taste.
Within a few spoons, I had a massive sugar rush. It felt like a direct highway to death from hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). In fact, their frozen yogurt alone, even without the extras, exceeds the daily recommended amount of 25g as advised by World Health Organization (WHO): According to Yoajung, there are 30 grams of sugar in 150 grams of their frozen yogurt.
The health disadvantage of Yoajung does not fully account for my distaste: the sky-high prices of the toppings went against their “customization” marketing. With only a few add-ons such as granola, chocolate rings and strawberries, Yoajung easily surpasses 10,000 won. Seventh-grader Elin Koo said, “I think [Yoajung] is overrated. If I put one topping — for example, chocolate rings — it [adds] 2000 won.”
While inflation drove up prices for fruits and snacks, the product only offers measly portions of freshly picked fruits or processed snacks, which makes the price appear unjustifiably high.
Aside from the sour taste that sets it apart, the extensive add-ons provide the customers with a unique appeal, but little more. Mary Kong in seventh grade said, “In my opinion, I think it is too sweet. But it is good because we can choose toppings to eat. I don’t know why this is so famous. It is just putting toppings on ice cream.”
I personally would eat Yoajung only once in a while as a reward for hard work due to its hefty price tag and the absurd amount of sugar. While the public harbors diverse opinions, to me, Yoajung seems overpriced and overrated for just a yogurt ice cream.
