The Korean Wave, including K-pop and dramas, is on the rise
Establishing a quick production and sales system
Targeting a niche with local customized ramen
news/cms/202411/02/news-p.v1.20241101.d8976634e843436ca1f74138fe2b18b8_R.jpg" data-width="919" data-height="801" /> enlarge photo A video of a girl bursting into tears after receiving ‘Carbo Buldak Stir-Fried Noodles’ as a birthday present. [사진 = ‘adalynn.sofiaa’ 틱톡 채널 영상 캡처]
A foreign girl is shedding tears of joy after receiving ‘Carbo Buldak Stir-Fried Noodles’ as a birthday present. When this video appeared on the short-form TikTok in April, it immediately surpassed 50 million views.
Samyang and Nongshim held dance challenges under the names ‘Play Buldak’ and ‘Pupat Pongguri’ respectively, which were huge hits. In the case of Play Buldak, the number of video views reached 700 million. There were over 50,000 participants from all over the world.
‘K Ramen’ is a huge hit. It has captured the tastes of Westerners not only in Asia, including China and Thailand, but also in the United States and Europe. The fact that ramen exports exceeded $1 billion this year is the result of explosive growth in the West beyond Korea and Asia.
According to food industry and experts on the 1st, there are three main reasons for the explosive popularity of K-ramen. △The effect of the Korean Wave △Localization strategy tailored to overseas tastes △The rapid establishment of a production and sales network.
Moon Jeong-hoon, a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Sociology at Seoul National University, said, “Korean waves such as K-pop and K-drama are essential for the expansion of K-ramen around the world.” He added, “Korean stars eating ramen in various videos helped promote K-ramen around the world.” “It became a fuse,” he said.
Chapaguri from the Academy Award-winning film ‘Parasite’ and Samyang Ramen from the world-famous ‘Squid Game’ opened the water. Afterwards, more stars’ SNS videos ignited the popularity of ramen.
In the case of Samyang Foods, a video of BTS member Jungkook enjoying Hot Chicken Bokkeum Ramen on a live broadcast and a video of famous American female rapper Cardi B eating Hot Chicken Bokkeum Ramen became global hot topics. Buldak Stir-fried Ramen and Nuclear Buldak Stir-fried Ramen ranked second after Indonesia’s ‘Mee Goreng’ in the ‘Best Ramen Rankings’ selected by the American culinary magazine ‘Bon Appetite’ last year.
Chapaguri, a mixture of Nongshim Shin Ramyun and Chapagetti, featured in the 2020 movie ‘Parasite’ and became the main character of K Ramyun. On Nongshim’s SNS account, consumers around the world continued to post messages wishing for the launch of Chapaguri, and Nongshim launched a new product called Chapaguri. Shin Ramyun and Chapagetti were selected as the best ramen by New York Magazine in 2021.
news/cms/202411/02/news-g.v1.20241101.d78a7d1a881344dabfa45d4094e3d63a_R.jpg" data-width="1500" data-height="1782" /> enlarge photo
The ramen craze that started with the Korean Wave spread further thanks to the industry’s rapid localization strategy. Hwang Yong-sik, a professor at the Department of Business Administration at Sejong University, said, “As foreigners have come into contact with Korean food through K content, the trend of wanting to experience and experience it rather than being satisfied with just seeing it has become stronger.” He added, “This atmosphere creates a powerful synergy with the localization strategies of ramen companies.” “It’s having an effect,” he said.
Samyang Foods introduced Carbo Buldak Ramen with Western flavors in the United States, and it was so popular that it was sold out. The less spicy taste and the luxurious taste of carbonara lowered the barrier to entry. They also introduced ‘Habanero Lime Fire Chicken Stir-fry Ramen’, which is a combination of hot sauce ‘Habanero’, which is popular in the United States, and ‘Tom Yum Fire Chicken Stir-fry Ramen’, which is a combination of Tom Yum.
In Thailand, they released Mara Hot Chicken Stir-fried Ramen, reflecting the popularity of local mala, in China they released Wonton Noodles with Buldak Sauce, which reflected their preference for soup, the sweet and spicy ‘Seasoned Chicken Buldak Stir-fried Ramen’, and in Japan, they launched ‘Yakisoba Hot Chicken Stir-fried Ramen’.
Nongshim launched ‘Shin Ramyun Tom Yum’ and ‘Shin Ramyun Fried Noodle Tom Yum’ in November last year in partnership with Thailand’s famous chef Chepai as the first product of Shin Ramyun’s global collaboration.
news/cms/202411/02/news-p.v1.20241101.3aaf03d247a24e1798c0350549b99202_R.png" data-width="700" data-height="467" /> enlarge photo Chef Jay Fai and Shin Ramyun Tom Yum [사진 제공 = 농심]
In the United States, Shin Ramyun Gold was launched in 2022, reflecting the American consumer trend of liking deep, rich soup and abundant ingredients. ‘Shin Ramyun Chicken’ was launched last year as an export product targeting Asian and European countries and also received Halal certification.
Ottogi introduced Jin Ramyun Chicken Flavor and Jin Ramyun Veggie targeting overseas markets. Early this year, exports of Jin Ramyun to Kazakhstan resumed after three years. In Mexico, where spicy flavors are preferred, Yeol Ramyun was introduced in four flavors: beef, shrimp, seafood, and chicken.
As sales surged thanks to the Korean Wave and local customized strategies, ramen companies quickly expanded factories at home and abroad and established local sales systems to meet demand.
Nongshim added a high-speed container noodle line to its second U.S. plant last month. In addition, the company plans to establish an export-only factory in Busan by the first half of 2026. The Busan export-only factory can produce 500 million ramen per year. Accordingly, annual ramen production for export is expected to reach 1 billion units in the second half of 2026. If we combine the existing volumes of the US corporation (approximately 1 billion units) and the Chinese corporation (approximately 700 million units), we will be able to export approximately 2.7 billion units per year.
To build a sales network, Nongshim opened stores in French retailers ‘Leclerc’ and ‘Carrefour’ last June. We plan to establish a European sales corporation early next year and expand into South America, Africa, and Oceania.
Following the completion of Miryang Factory 1 in May 2022, Samyang held a groundbreaking ceremony for Miryang Factory 2, which can produce 560 million pieces of hot chicken fried noodles annually, in March of this year. When Miryang Factory 2 is completed in May next year, it will be able to produce 2.4 billion ramen per year.
In order to emphasize ‘Made in Korea,’ Samyang Foods is cautious about establishing local factories overseas while increasing the number of overseas sales corporations. Following Japan, China, the United States, and Indonesia, the company showed its intention to target Europe by establishing a sales corporation in the Netherlands this year.
Ottogi aims to expand its ramen export countries from 65 to 70 countries around the world this year. China, the Philippines, Taiwan, and the United States are major export countries, and the Vietnamese subsidiary’s sales have recently grown significantly.
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