Pepero Day in Korea: Why November 11 Is All About Chocolate Sticks
Every year on November 11, shelves in Korean convenience stores turn into towers of gift boxes, and office desks fill up with thin chocolate-dipped biscuit sticks. Welcome to Pepero Day — Korea's sweetest unofficial holiday.
Why 11/11?
Write the date as numbers — 11.11 — and it looks like four long, thin sticks standing side by side. That shape matches Pepero, a chocolate-coated biscuit stick snack sold in Korea since the 1980s. The story most often told is that the day began in the mid-1990s among students in the Busan area, who traded the snacks and wished each other to grow "tall and slim". Later the snack's maker embraced the date, and today it is one of the busiest days of the year for Korean convenience stores.
What people actually do
- Friends and classmates swap a box or two — it is a small, friendly gesture, not a big gift.
- Couples go further: giant gift boxes, bouquets of sticks, or a handmade batch.
- Coworkers leave a few boxes on the shared desk so everyone gets a treat.
- Parents pack a stick or two into a child's lunch box with a note.
If you are in Korea in early November
Walk into any convenience store from about the first week of November and you will see special displays near the entrance: gift sets, oversized boxes, and seasonal flavors. Prices range from a single box for pocket change to themed sets with a plush toy. Big stores and online malls run their own Pepero Day events too — if you want to compare gift sets without walking around, our POPORO STORE season corner collects current Pepero Day gift ideas (it contains affiliate links; we may earn a commission).
Make your own — the DIY version
Many Koreans make their own sticks as a more personal gift. You only need plain breadsticks or biscuit sticks, melted chocolate (dark, white, or strawberry), and toppings like sprinkles or crushed nuts. Dip, roll, let them set on parchment paper, then bundle them with a ribbon. It is an easy activity for a rainy afternoon, and children love it.
The other 11/11: Farmers' Day
November 11 is also Korea's official Farmers' Day. Because the Chinese characters for "earth" look like the numbers, some groups promote garae-tteok — long, white rice cakes — as a homegrown alternative. Giving rice cakes instead of (or together with) chocolate is a thoughtful touch.
A small tip
Pepero Day is about lightness. A single box with a short message — "Thanks for this year" or "Let's grab lunch soon" — is perfectly normal, and often means more than an expensive set.
In POPORO CITY, LUMI and our residents will be sending Pepero Day greetings on our channels this year. Happy 11/11! 🍫
Images in this article are AI-generated illustrations, and this article was prepared with AI assistance by the KPOPORO team.