How Koreans survive lunch in Seoul: Geojimap beats lunch-flation [k7K0Esg6Isg]
고물가 시대 현대인들이 점심을 해결하는 법: ‘거지맵’ 신종 등장 Surviving high inflation has become a daily mission for many young people in South Korea. As the cost of dining out continues to soar, a digital platform known as the 'Geoji Map' is going viral. Our culture correspondent Chung Hye-lim shows us how. Kim Min-jeong, an English teacher living in Seoul, needs a quick lunch near Sangsu Station before her afternoon class. But as she checks the menu boards outside, most meals easily exceed ten thousand won. That's when she opens an app called 'Geojimap' a map showing a range of affordable restaurants on her phone to explore her options. She settles on a cozy Korean restaurant offering a full meal with side dishes and soup. This satisfying lunch costs her just 7-thousand won, or about four dollars and seventy-six cents. "Eating out in Korea has become so expensive lately. It's a real burden to spend ten or twenty thousand won just for a quick lunch before work. On Geojimap, you can find these hidden gem restaurants that serve delicious food but aren't overly expensive." "Here at another affordable restaurant listed on the map, the average price per item on the menu is 7,000 won. Recent data shows that the average cost of a meal in Seoul has surpassed 11,000 won, meaning customers here spend less. Because of this many people are using the map to reduce daily spending." In this era of high inflation, places like this have become essential for anyone looking for ways to cut back on food expenses. "I often visit this place because the food is cheap and tasty. I first came here on a school colleague's recommendation. It's actually a bit cheaper than the school cafeteria, but it tastes way better, so I end up coming here more often." Roughly translating to 'Beggar Map', the platform traces its roots back to "Geojibang," or 'beggar chatrooms'. These are anonymous online communities where people share strict money-saving tips and scold each other for unnecessary spending. One of the members turned this into a tool, and the app and its associated website already have 1.2 million cumulative users. "I realized that saving on food is something everyone is interested in and can easily do. There was a lot of fragmented information scattered across the internet, so I thought it would be great to gather and visualize it. The restaurants registered on Geojimap are all shops without big advertising budgets, so I hope this app helps these small business owners." Although born from the financial squeeze of the current economy, the map is proving to be a win, helping customers survive high inflation. Chung Hye-lim, Arirang News. #Geojimap #LunchFlation #KoreaTrend #CostOfLiving #거지맵 #런치플레이션 #생활비 #arirangnews #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Youtube : 📣 Homepage : 2026-04-15, 12:00 (KST)