There's a stall two rows into Bucheon's Jayu Market that sells banchan by the tub, and ojingeochae-muchim always sells out first. I once asked the ajumma why she never makes extra. She just shrugged: "sujin-i eobseo" — there's no supply. I thought she meant her supplier ran late. She meant something bigger.
This tangle of chewy, sweet-spicy dried squid strips is about as close to a "national side dish" as Korea has. It shows up in lunchboxes, drinking-snack spreads, and side-dish shops from Seoul to Busan. What almost nobody stops to ask is where the squid actually comes from anymore — and the honest answer has changed dramatically in just the last few years.
What Is Ojingeochae-Muchim, Exactly?
Ojingeochae is dried, shredded squid — thin white-pink strands with a leathery chew. Muchim means "mixed" or "dressed," so this is the strips tossed in a gochujang-based sauce: gochujang, gochugaru, garlic, a sweetener like corn syrup, sesame oil, and often a spoon of mayonnaise, which sounds odd until you taste how it softens the squid's toughness. Steaming the strips for a minute or two before mixing is the trick most home cooks swear by — skip it, and the dish turns into a jaw workout.
"Sujin-i eobseo — there's no supply." That's not a supplier's excuse anymore. It's the honest state of Korea's squid fishery.
Why the Squid Behind This Dish Nearly Vanished
Korea's coastal squid catch was around 226,000 tonnes in 2000. By 2018 it had fallen to roughly 46,000 tonnes, and the crash kept going: East Sea catches dropped from 8,652 tonnes in 2020 to just 852 tonnes in 2024 — a 90% collapse in four years. Researchers at Korea's National Institute of Fisheries Science point to warming water as the driver: sea surface temperatures around the peninsula rose 1.44°C between 1968 and 2023, more than double the 0.7°C global average, with the East Sea specifically warming 1.9°C over that span.
Unlike pollock, which Korea has essentially given up catching, squid staged a real comeback in 2025 — national production jumped 128.5% year-over-year to about 31,000 tonnes, as warming western waters unexpectedly turned hospitable and the squid simply moved. Fishermen in Gunsan, on the west coast, reported catches triple what they saw the year before. It's not a full recovery, and experts are cautious about calling it permanent, but it's rare good news in a decade of bad headlines for Korean fisheries.
Insider's Insight: Watching squid prices at Jayu Market swing from 11,000 won a piece to something almost normal again within a year taught me more about climate volatility than any report could. It's not abstract when your side dish supplier is out of stock.
How to Make It at Home
Steam 100 grams of dried squid strips for about two minutes to soften them, then toss with a spoon of sesame oil. Separately, simmer gochujang, a touch of gochugaru, minced garlic, rice wine, soy sauce, and corn syrup until slightly thickened, then fold the warm sauce through the squid with a spoon of mayonnaise and sesame seeds. It keeps refrigerated for a week, and tastes even better the next day once the sauce soaks in.
Would you still order this the same way knowing the squid supply chain has been this shaky? I still do — it's one of those dishes where the craving wins. What's your go-to banchan when the good stuff is sold out? Tell me below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What's the difference between ojingeochae and jinmichae?
Ojingeochae is dried squid strips in general; jinmichae usually refers to a finer, softer-shredded version often used in the same spicy mixed dish.
Q: Why did squid prices spike so much in Korea?
Catches fell sharply due to warming seas — East Sea squid landings dropped 90% between 2020 and 2024, pushing retail prices above 10,000 won per squid at points in 2025.
Q: Is the squid shortage improving?
Yes, partially — national squid production rose 128.5% in 2025 as squid shifted toward Korea's west coast, though experts caution it may not be a permanent recovery.
Q: How long does ojingeochae-muchim keep?
About a week refrigerated in a sealed container — the flavor actually improves after a day as the sauce soaks into the squid.
Q: Why add mayonnaise to a spicy dish?
It tenderizes the chewy dried squid and mellows the gochujang's sharpness, a trick most Korean home cooks use even though it's not in older recipes.
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