Unlocking Sweet Success: 5 New Chocolate Shops to Transform Haenam’s Chocolate Street

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Haenam County in South Jeolla Province is expanding downtown Haenam-eup’s “Chocolate Street” to 10 shops.

On the 30th, the downtown Haenam commercial revitalization task force announced it had selected five additional teams for Chocolate Street: two new startups and three teams converting existing stores into mixed-format shops.

Chocolate Street currently hosts five chocolate-focused shops. The task force said the newly chosen operators plan to roll out original menus that highlight Haenam’s local flavors.

In the new startup category, one team was picked for developing “choco energy bars and choco brownies,” and another was chosen for proposing desserts that use Haenam sweet potatoes, abalone, and kelp.

In the mixed-store category, three existing businesses are preparing chocolate-infused offerings such as “strawberry chocolate fondue,” “choco fig baguette and choco bagel,” and “choco bungeoppang (fish-shaped pastry) and choco cup bingsoo (shaved ice).”

The task force will sign agreements with the selected teams and, starting in early April, run 10 sessions of professional chocolate training along with store-improvement projects.

Kim Deok-il, head of the task force, said that combining local specialties—Haenam sweet potatoes, abalone, and gim (seaweed)—with the universally loved ingredient chocolate will create a one-of-a-kind Haenam offering. He added that he expects downtown Haenam-eup to be firmly established as a vibrant, chocolate-focused shopping district by this fall.