Korean Citrus Guide: Gamgyul, Hallabong & When to Buy

From late October, Korean marts start stacking orange boxes near the entrance and the fruit trucks switch to tangerines. In Korea that word, 감귤 gamgyul (or just 귤 gyul), almost always means a Jeju satsuma mandarin.

Then come the names that confuse everyone. Hallabong, cheonhyehyang, redhyang, hwanggeumhyang, karahyang. They are all 만감류 mangamryu, the late-ripening mandarin hybrids that cost more and ripen in turn through winter and spring. Here is how to tell them apart, when each one is at its best, and which to pick up.

What's the difference between gamgyul, hallabong, cheonhyehyang and redhyang?

Gamgyul is the small, thin-skinned everyday tangerine. The others are larger hybrids sold under brand names, each with its own peel, aroma and season. The descriptions below come from the Jeju Citrus Federation and Jeju’s agricultural research service.

When is each Korean citrus in season?

Open-field gamgyul is mainly harvested from October to December, and the hybrids follow in turn from November to May. Greenhouse tangerines fill the summer gap, so there is some Korean citrus in the shops almost all year.

📅 Korean citrus seasons (as of October 2026; harvest timing from Jeju agricultural sources)

For how citrus fits into the rest of Korea’s fruit calendar, and why fruit costs what it does here, see our Korean fruit prices and seasonal calendar. Our Korean winter foods guide covers the strawberries, roasted sweet potatoes and other things that share the table with a box of tangerines.

Which Korean citrus should you buy?

Buy gamgyul for snacking, hallabong for a gift or the big juicy hit, and redhyang or cheonhyehyang if you want premium fruit that still peels easily. What you can get depends on the month, so start with the season table above.

🛒 Which one to buy (based on Jeju Citrus Federation and Jeju agricultural research descriptions)

How much do tangerines and hallabong cost in 2026?

We could not pull live retail prices from KAMIS, Korea’s official farm price service, on October 30, 2026, so the figures below are reported reference points, not today’s shelf prices. For current prices, check KAMIS (kamis.or.kr), which publishes daily retail prices for tangerines, or simply read the price tags at a big mart.

💰 Reported price reference points (wholesale and average prices, not shelf prices)

Two things move these prices. First, the size of the crop. Jeju’s agricultural research service put the 2026 open-field crop at about 443,300 t in its second survey, up 7.8% on last year, Financial News reported in September, with a final estimate due after a November survey. A bigger crop usually means cheaper winter tangerines. Second, holidays. Ahead of Seollal in February 2026, the Economist (Korea) reported 20–30% discounts on Jeju hybrids at big marts and online stores under a government discount program.

Where to buy Jeju citrus in Seoul

Big marts are the easiest place to buy citrus in Seoul, traditional markets let you buy small amounts, and Garak Market is where much of the Jeju crop is auctioned.

• Big marts (E-mart, Homeplus, Lotte Mart) sell citrus by the box and the bag. In winter you can often find several hybrids next to each other, which makes comparing easy.
• Traditional markets and fruit stalls sell by the bag or handful, which suits a short trip. Our fruit price guide explains when markets are cheaper than marts and when they aren’t.
• Garak Market in Songpa is Seoul’s main wholesale market, and the wholesale tangerine prices in the table above are Garak prices. Our Garak Market guide explains what visitors can do there.

One habit worth copying from Korean households: buy a box of gamgyul in winter, keep it somewhere cool, and eat from it all week. Pull out any soft or damaged fruit early, because one bad tangerine spoils the ones touching it.

Where can you go tangerine picking in Jeju?

The Seogwipo Citrus Museum runs tangerine picking in its own orchard, and VisitJeju lists the season as November to January for ₩5,000. You pick open-field gamgyul, take a bag home, and can eat what you like while you are among the trees.

For the 2025 season, the museum announced picking from November 3 to December 30, with about 1 kg to take home per person, entry from 9:30 to 11:30 and 1:00 to 4:30 pm, and no picking in the rain, Wikitree reported. The 2026 dates had not been published as of October 30, 2026, and the museum’s own website was not reachable when we checked. Call the museum (064-767-3010) or check VisitJeju before you go.

📍 Open in Naver Map

Plenty of private farms across Jeju also offer picking in the same months, usually by the bag. Prices and opening days vary by farm, so check the listing for each one.

Can you take Korean citrus home?

Carrying citrus from Jeju to Seoul is a domestic trip with no customs, but taking it abroad depends entirely on your destination country’s plant quarantine rules.

Within Korea, the only limit you will notice is your airline’s baggage allowance, and a 5 kg box adds up fast. International flights are different. Incheon Airport tells travelers who want to take plants or fruit abroad to do two things:

• Before you fly, check with your destination country's embassy or plant quarantine agency whether the fruit is allowed and whether you need a phytosanitary certificate.
• On departure day, take the fruit to the airport's Animal and Plant Export Quarantine office, apply, and get it inspected for a certificate. At Incheon, the office is on Terminal 1's third floor (inside Gate 7) and Terminal 2's second floor (Government Administration Center), open 09:00–18:00.