According to the record, the soup consists of thinly sliced meat, noodles, scallions, and powder of cheoncho (천초) in a broth.

A group of unemployed children of the rich gather to eat haejangguk while a jumo (a female owner of a jumak) ladles boiling soup out of a cauldron.

[5] According to Haedong jukji (海東竹枝), poetry collection written by Choe Yeong-nyeon (崔永年 1856~1935[6]),[7] haejangguk is referred to as hyojonggaeng (曉鍾羹), which literally means a "dawn bell soup".

The ingredients for the soup are inner parts of napa cabbage, and kongnamul (soybean sprouts), mushrooms, galbi, sea cucumber, and abalone.

The record suggests that hyojonggaeng is either the first delivery food to cure a hangover after a banquet held by jaesang was ended or was used as a bribe.

Haejangguk of the Seoul region is a kind of tojangguk (soybean paste soup) made with kongnamul, radish, napa cabbage, scallions, coagulated ox blood, and tojang in a broth.

It is said that, when eating haejangguk, if the diner drinks a cup of moju (母酒) made by boiling a fermented mixture of makgeolli (a type of rice wine), sugar, and wheat flour, the combination may alleviate a hangover.