Ordering Fried Chicken to Hangang Park: Can Tourists Do It Too?

At Ttukseom Hangang Park in Seoul, foreign travelers spread out a picnic mat on the grass at sunset and order fried chicken through a delivery app on their phones. About ten minutes later a delivery rider pulls up—but not at the picnic spot. Riders wait at a marked 'Delivery Zone' sign near the park entrance instead. Walking over to collect the chicken and carrying it back to the mat is the short errand now known among visitors as the 'Hangang chicken' experience.

At a glance: according to Seoul's Hangang River Project Headquarters, delivery of chicken, pizza and other outside food is allowed only at designated 'Delivery Zones'—two at Ttukseom Hangang Park (by the park entrance and the information center) and three at Yeouido Hangang Park (by Parking Lot 2, the park entrance, and the Mulbit Plaza gate)—since riders are kept off the lawns for safety. Based on BBQ's official menu prices, a whole Golden Olive Chicken costs 23,000 won and a half chicken 12,500 won, while minimum order amounts and delivery fees vary by restaurant and app, so check the checkout screen before paying.

Can foreign tourists actually do this? Yes. Baedal Minjok (Baemin), Korea's largest delivery app, lets customers order as guests without a Korean phone number and accepts overseas-issued Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards, including through Apple Pay. Coupang Eats also accepts foreign Visa and Mastercard payments. Both apps are mainly in Korean, though, so switching the language setting is needed to browse menus in English.

If signing up or verifying identity feels like too much hassle, Korea Tourism Organization's official English website recommends Shuttle Delivery, an app built specifically for foreign residents and visitors. It runs in English, Japanese and Chinese, takes payment by overseas credit card or PayPal, and needs no Korean phone number or bank account to join. The app treats the Ttukseom and Yeouido delivery zones as fixed pickup points, so travelers don't need to know the park layout to find their order.

The Korean habit of pairing fried chicken with beer is called chimaek, a blend of 'chicken' and maekju (beer), and Hangang Park is one of the best-known places to enjoy it against a river sunset. Just remember that riders only reach the delivery zone, not the picnic spot, so budget a short walk, and on weekday evenings or weekends when riders get busy, check the app's estimated arrival time and minimum order amount before placing the order.