Choco Pie: the story of Korea's famous snack

Oct 7, 2026

By Jihye Dschihä

The Choco Pie is a snack from South Korea that now sells billions every year: two small, round layers of cake with a marshmallow filling, coated in chocolate. It was invented in 1974, inspired by an American model, and it has had an unusual history since then, including a role as black-market goods in North Korea.

Who invented the Choco Pie?

The Choco Pie comes from the Korean company Tongyang Confectionery, now called Orion. In 1973, an employee on a business trip to the US state of Georgia tried a chocolate-coated marshmallow cookie at a hotel, which later reports identify as a MoonPie. The MoonPie has been made by the Chattanooga Bakery in Tennessee since 1917.

In April 1974, Tongyang launched the Choco Pie in Korea, at the time for 50 won.

Why are there Choco Pies from both Orion and Lotte?

Just a few years after Orion, Lotte also brought out a Choco Pie, in 1978 or 1979 depending on the source. Other manufacturers followed later. Orion went to court over it but lost: around the turn of the millennium, Korean courts ruled that "Choco Pie" had become a generic term for this kind of snack that any manufacturer may use. Sources give different dates for the proceedings.

Since then, Orion has relied on a written character: its package says 情 (Jeong), a Korean word for deep affection and connection. According to the Korea Herald, the product has been called "Choco Pie Jeong" since 1989; according to the Korean Wikipedia, only since 1995.

Lotte now sells Choco Pies in many countries, including India, where the company has produced them in Chennai since 2010. Under the name Choco Pie, Lotte Japan sells a completely different version filled with whipped cream instead of marshmallow.

What does the Choco Pie have to do with North Korea?

At the Kaesong Industrial Complex, where South Korean companies produced goods with North Korean workers, the workers received Choco Pies instead of cash bonuses. According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, it was two to three a day in 2009, about 2.5 million a month in total. Many workers did not eat them themselves but took them home, and the Choco Pies ended up on the black market. In 2011, the Korea Economic Institute of America put their black-market value at about 9.50 US dollars each.

North Korea did not like this. In 2014, according to Daily NK, it demanded that the companies hand out other snacks instead of Choco Pies, such as sausages or coffee. From 2015, according to Radio Free Asia, the workers received North Korean rice cake snacks and instant noodles. In 2016, the industrial complex was closed entirely.

How successful is the Choco Pie?

According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, Orion sold more than four billion Choco Pies in 2024. Most of Orion's sales are now abroad; since 2007, more than in Korea itself. A particularly important market is Russia, where Orion has exported since 1993 and runs its own factories.

Orion keeps releasing new flavors; the first besides the original was banana in 2016. According to Korean media reports, Lotte sells banana, strawberry and cacao versions in Russia, among others.

Where can I get Choco Pies?

We sell the Lotte Choco Pie from Korea in a 12-pack. You can try more Korean sweets in our Dalgona box, and if you would rather make something sweet yourself, you will find recipes for hotteok and dalgona on our blog.