When a North Korean soldier crashed his car through the DMZ in 2017, he was shot five times while sprinting across the border. Days later, when he finally regained consciousness in a South Korean hospital, he had one request — a Choco Pie.
That story tells you everything you need to know about this little chocolate-coated cake. It's not just a snack. It's a cultural phenomenon that crossed borders, sparked political controversy, and quietly became one of Korea's greatest exports. Here's how it happened.
It All Started in Georgia — the American One
In 1973, a researcher from Tongyang Confectionery (the company that would later become Orion) traveled to the United States on a business trip. While staying at a hotel in Georgia, he came across a local treat: the Moon Pie — a soft, marshmallow-filled cake coated in chocolate.
He brought the idea back to Korea.
After months of experimentation, Tongyang's team created their own version — lighter, softer, and perfectly suited to Korean tastes. In 1974, the Choco Pie was born.
It was an instant hit. Kids loved it. Grandparents loved it. At an affordable price with a satisfying sweetness, it became a staple in Korean households almost overnight. The product was so successful that Tongyang Confectionery eventually renamed the entire company after it — becoming Orion, the brand we know today.
From Corner Stores to a National Icon
Through the 1980s and 1990s, the Choco Pie became deeply woven into Korean culture. It wasn't just a snack — it represented comfort, generosity, and what Orion calls jeong (정): the warm emotional connection between people.
Workers received them as gifts. Parents packed them in school lunches. They appeared at family gatherings, holidays, and celebrations. By the time Orion began looking beyond Korea's borders, the Choco Pie wasn't just a product — it was a feeling.
The Strangest Chapter: North Korea's Black Market
No part of the Choco Pie's story is stranger — or more fascinating — than what happened in North Korea.
In 2004, South Korea and North Korea opened the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a jointly-operated industrial park just north of the DMZ. Over 50,000 North Korean workers were employed there by South Korean companies. Since cash bonuses were considered too politically sensitive, employers started giving workers Choco Pies instead.
At first, South Korean managers were puzzled — they noticed no one was eating them. There were no wrappers. The pies were simply disappearing.
The reason? They were too valuable to eat.
Workers were taking them home and selling them. A black market for Choco Pies emerged almost immediately. According to reporting by the Chosun Ilbo, a single pie was fetching up to $9.50 on the North Korean black market — in a country where the average monthly wage was around $57. An estimated 2.5 million pies were being traded every month, with some vendors dealing exclusively in Choco Pies.
The North Korean government, understandably alarmed by a South Korean snack functioning as underground currency, eventually banned Choco Pie bonuses at Kaesong in 2014. Employers were instructed to substitute "sausages, noodles, coffee, and chocolate" instead.
South Korean activists responded in the most dramatic way possible: they launched 10,000 Choco Pies across the border via helium balloon.
A Snack That Still Travels the World
Today, Orion's Choco Pie is sold in over 60 countries in 24 different variations — matcha and red bean in China, coconut in Vietnam, berry jam in Russia. The recipe adapts, but the concept stays the same: two soft cakes, marshmallow filling, chocolate coating.
Simple. Universally loved. Genuinely Korean.
Want to try the real thing? Every K-TREATS Box is packed with iconic Korean snacks — including the classics that started it all. [Subscribe here]