Jung Il-woo: I should have patented the Dalgona Coffee craze

Actor Jung Il-woo is drawing attention once again as he reflects on being at the epicenter of the 'Dalgona Coffee' craze, which became a global phenomenon during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the recipe he first introduced on television spread as a worldwide trend, he expressed a sense of regret that his own name was not etched into the history of the craze.

In a video released on the YouTube channel 'Alttalttalhan Chamgyeon' on the 21st, Jung reminisced about his time on a variety show alongside actor Ahn Jae Hyun and shared behind-the-scenes stories regarding the coffee.

Recalling the COVID-19 era, Ahn introduced the topic, saying, "There is a coffee that Jung Il-woo developed first and presented on 'Stars' Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant.' It is none other than Dalgona Coffee. Il-woo was the person who first revealed that coffee made by stirring immensely."

As the cast members expressed their surprise, Jung also recalled the explosive reaction at the time. "Because of that, I even did interviews with the New York Times and BBC," he reminisced. "I heard that Dalgona Coffee was the number one search term on Google worldwide at that time."

However, amidst the global craze, his name was largely left out of the narrative. Ahn expressed regret, noting, "Only the name Jung Il-woo was left out, and only 'Dalgona' remained." Hearing this, comedian Heo Kyung Hwan jokingly remarked, "At that level, you should have filed a patent."\

Jung laughed and replied, "I never thought of that at all," sending the group into laughter.

Dalgona Coffee is a beverage made by mixing instant coffee, sugar, and hot water in a specific ratio, then stirring it hundreds of times to create a cream-like foam to pour over cold milk. Thanks to its simple ingredients, unique visuals, and a recipe that anyone could easily follow at home, it gained explosive popularity globally during the period when outings were restricted due to COVID-19.

In 2020, Jung introduced a reinterpretation of a coffee he had tasted during a trip to Macau on the KBS 2TV show 'Stars' Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant.' Following the broadcast, he shared the recipe again via his SNS, and as viewers began to make it themselves, the 'Dalgona Coffee Challenge' spread as a global trend.

At the time, tens of thousands of related videos and posts flooded major SNS platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, and international media outlets spotlighted it as a new home cafe culture originating in Korea. As major outlets, including the New York Times and BBC, raced to cover the trend, 'Dalgona Coffee' established itself as a global cultural phenomenon.

Given how the simple recipe combined with the unique circumstances of the pandemic, Dalgona Coffee is recorded as more than just a beverage; it is a piece of content that symbolizes the COVID era.

Jung, who was at the center of it all, offered a calm reaction, stating, "I never thought about getting a patent." However, netizens who watched the broadcast have been re-evaluating his contribution, commenting, "I only just found out that Jung Il-woo was the original," "He truly was ahead of his time," "It was the start of the recipe the whole world followed," and "He should be properly recognized even if it's late.'

As Dalgona Coffee remains a global trend representing the pandemic, interest is once again surging in the fact that the idea and broadcast of actor Jung Il-woo were at the heart of the drink the world went crazy for.