This study investigated consumer perception and purchase behavior regarding Han-gwa (traditional Korean confection) in housewives residing in the Seoul and Gyeonggi area. This study was conducted by self-administered questionnaires. Out of 839 questionnaires, 713 questionnaires (85.0%) were used for statistical analyses including frequency analysis, the Chisquare, and one-way ANOVA. Based on the data collected, independence variables were divided less than 40 years (<40), 40s, 50 years or higher (50) by age. The major findings were as follows; Firstly, 72.1% of the total respondents had the experience of purchasing Han-gwa. Gangjeong was the most popular item among purchased. As the purpose of purchasing, holiday gift and snack was on the highest rank. Hypermarkets / discount stores (48.9%) was the most common place for the place of purchase. Secondly, there was a significant difference in the perception of Han-gwa by age; respondents aged 50 years or older showed more positive perception in Han-gwa in 3 factors among total of 11 factors. Thirdly, for the popularization of Han-gwa, ‘too sweet taste (44.2%)’ and ‘small portion size (22.9%)’ were pointed to be improved by respondents. Results of this study indicate that 1) Yu-gwa and Yak-gwa require new product development based on age segmentation, and health and food safety are important variables considered when housewives purchase Han-gwa.

This study was to examine Kwa-Jung-ryu, a traditional Korean confectionery, made by head families. We examined the materials and recipes of Kwa-Jung-ryu, which were classified into Yumilgwa, Yugwa, Jeonggwa, Dasikgwa, Yeot-Gangjeong, Dang (Yeot), and others. There were 13 head families that introduced Kwa-Jung-ryu, two each from Gyeonggi-do, Jeolla-do, and Chuncheong-do, and seven from Gyeongsang-do. There are 33 types of Kwa-Jung-ryu, which averages to about 2.5 types per family. But the Pungsan Ryu, Yeoju Lee, and Andong Kwon families introduced the most Kwa-Jung-ryu with 5 types each. The most popular types of Kwa-Jung-ryu were Yumilgwa, introduced by 7 families (Yakgwa by 6 and Maejakgwa by 1), then Jeonggwa by 6 families (Jeonggwa by 3, Pyeon-gang by 1, and Jeonggwa and Pyeon-gang by 2), and Dasikgwa and other Kwa-Jung-ryu by 5 families (Gotgam-mari by 4 and Seopsansam by 1). Classifying Kwa-Jung-ryu by recipe, the most frequently introduced were 8 types of Jeonggwa-ryu, 7 types of Yumilgwa, 5 types of Dasikgwa, 3 types of Yeot-Gangjeong and Dang (Yeot), and 2 types of Yugwa.