Lee Jaemo Pizza in Busan has been in business for over 30 years. It’s known for its generous toppings made with locally sourced Imsil cheese. /Courtesy of Busan Tourism Organization
By 9:30 a.m. on June 30, a line had already formed outside Lee Jaemo Pizza’s Busan Station branch—before the doors had even opened. About a dozen people had put their names on the waiting list. Lee, a 23-year-old college student, said she had arrived in Busan the night before and came straight to the shop in the morning. “Open-run is supposedly the fastest way to avoid long waits, so I got here early,” she said. When the store opened at 10 a.m., customers towing suitcases streamed in directly from the station. By 11 a.m., 82 groups were already on the list. It wasn’t a weekend. It was a Monday.
According to CatchTable, South Korea’s leading restaurant reservation platform, the most in-demand restaurant in Busan last year wasn’t a traditional dwaeji gukbap (pork soup with rice) spot or a famous barbecue joint—it was a pizza shop. All of the top four most wait-listed restaurants were locations of Lee Jaemo Pizza, including its flagship store and branches at Busan Station and Seomyeon.
On July 1, when a heat wave advisory was in effect, people were seen lining up in front of the Lee Jaemo Pizza Seomyeon branch in Jeonpo-dong, Busan—even at 1 p.m. on a weekday. Since the restaurant introduced a digital queue system, the once 4- to 5-hour wait times have significantly decreased, but the area in front of the store remained packed with customers. /Kim Yong-jae
Travelers boarding trains often carry bags that hint at their point of departure. A tan paper bag usually signals a stop in Daejeon for Sungsimdang, the famed local bakery, while a yellow bag suggests a visit to Iseongdang, Korea’s oldest bakery, in Gunsan. In recent years, a new visual cue has emerged at Busan Station: a white plastic bag containing a red pizza box—Lee Jaemo Pizza.
On June 30, several passengers at the station were spotted with the brand’s signature boxes. Jeon, a 60-year-old traveler en route to Seoul, said, “I used to buy eomuk (fish cakes) or bread for my grandchildren, but now they ask for this pizza. Since takeout orders are fast and don’t require waiting in line, I always come 30 minutes early before my train to pick one up.”
Food consumption is restricted on express buses due to ventilation concerns, but trains impose few limits on what passengers can carry or eat onboard. Even so, pizza isn’t typically considered ideal for travel—it tends to cool quickly, hardening the cheese and softening the box from trapped heat.
But that hasn’t stopped customers. Online forums are filled with tips for transporting Lee Jaemo Pizza without compromising quality. One popular suggestion: leave the box slightly open for 30 minutes to let steam escape before boarding. Once wrapped and stowed in the overhead compartment, the smell reportedly stays minimal.
In a city best known for seafood and street food, what makes this pizza stand out? In short, scarcity and value—much like Sungsimdang in Daejeon. Founded in 1992 in Gwangbok-dong, Jung-gu, Busan, Lee Jaemo Pizza remained a hyper-local brand for over three decades before opening a Jeju branch last year. Outside Jeju, it still operates exclusively in Busan, contributing to its cult-like status. Until 2022, the company ran only its flagship store. It has since expanded to five directly operated locations, including Busan Station and Seomyeon.
Seo Sang-ha, manager of the Seomyeon branch, recalled how the shop gained traction through social media around 2018 as a “must-try” local pizza exclusive to Busan. “During the pandemic, the lines really exploded,” he said. “People were waiting four to five hours a day.” Seo added that employees had to persuade the owner—initially reluctant to expand—that “it wasn’t fair to keep customers waiting that long.”
The pizza’s popularity also stems from its generous toppings and reasonable pricing. The restaurant’s signature menu item, the Lee Jaemo Crust, is a 33 cm pie with a cheese- or sausage-stuffed crust, available for takeout at 26,100 won (approximately $19). It comes loaded with bacon, pepperoni, mozzarella, and cheddar cheese. Online reviews frequently note that one pizza can satisfy four women or three men. A comparable offering from a major franchise would cost around 33,000 won ($24).
The brand’s reputation for ethical business practices also resonates with customers. Lee Jaemo Pizza is a Christian-run company, and its CEO, Kim Ik-tae, is frequently listed in holiday-season donation columns in local newspapers. Contrary to popular belief, “Lee Jaemo” is not the name of the owner—it’s the name of his mother.