The Seoul city government has partnered with CU, Korea’s largest convenience store chain, to launch a line of low-sugar, high-protein packaged meals intended to make healthy eating cheaper and more accessible, municipal officials said earlier this week.

The five-item lineup, branded “Seoul My Soul Healthy Convenience Foods,” includes a bento-style boxed lunch, a rolled gimbap — seaweed-wrapped rice rolls packed with vegetables and other fillings — two triangle-shaped rice balls, known as "samgak-gimbap," and a chicken sandwich.

"This collaboration was designed to help residents easily and affordably embrace healthy living in their daily routines," said Kim Hyoung-rae, director-general of the city's public communications bureau. "We will continue working with private companies to introduce products and content that showcase the value and appeal of Seoul."

The boxed lunch, rolled gimbap, tuna-mayonnaise rice ball and sandwich hit shelves Tuesday, with a bulgogi-flavored rice ball following on Wednesday. All five items will be available at CU locations across the greater Seoul metropolitan area.

City officials said the initiative was created in response to growing consumer demand for low-sugar, high-protein diets, which often remain out of reach for budget-conscious shoppers due to higher retail costs and spotty availability.

The recipes swap traditional ingredients for chickpea rice, chicken breast, water-packed tuna and low-fat mayonnaise, trimming sugar and overall fat content while boosting protein levels.

The boxed lunch pairs chickpea rice with barbecue-sauced chicken breast and grilled soy tofu. The gimbap features chicken breast marinated in a low-sugar, soy-garlic sauce. The bulgogi rice ball combines marinated beef with a low-sugar "gochujang," or Korean red chili paste, while the tuna rice ball uses water-packed tuna and low-fat mayonnaise. The chicken sandwich adds coleslaw alongside sliced breast meat.

Packaging for the line depicts Soul Friends, the city’s official mascot characters, picnicking along the Han River, the waterway that runs through central Seoul, against a backdrop of prominent local landmarks.

Customers can check store inventory and reserve items for local pickup using Pocket CU, the convenience chain’s mobile application, the city said.

The launch builds on a series of earlier municipal food collaborations designed to market the city's brand. Seoul Ramen and Seoul Jjajang, instant noodle products released in February 2024, have sold more than 1.66 million packages across 19 countries, according to city data.

A reduced-sugar pastry dubbed Seoul Bread has sold more than 80,000 units since launching in late April, while Seoul Rice Chips, a snack introduced in late May, has sold more than 7,000 units.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.