Can't live without it... 'Korean ramen' surpassing Shin Ramyun and becoming the top exporter overseas.

There is a Korean ramen that has surpassed Shin Ramyun and is the top exporter of ramen abroad in Korea. It is Buldak Bokkeum-myeon. Recently, due to the rapid increase in overseas popularity, Buldak Bokkeum-myeon has seen a surge in exports, causing shortages in domestic convenience stores. The overall Korean ramen market is also gradually expanding globally.

 

◆ Korea's ramen expansion into overseas markets

According to the Korea Customs Service export-import trade statistics on the 18th, Korea's ramen exports reached 155 billion won in January this year, a 25.4% increase compared to the same period last year. In particular, Korea's ramen export value has exceeded 1 billion dollars for 10 consecutive months since April of last year, demonstrating a stable growth trend.

Over the past few years, the overseas sales of Korean ramen have been growing along a steep upward curve. In 2019, the export amount was about 4.6 billion won, but it increased every year, reaching approximately 9.5 billion won in 2023. Last year, it surpassed 10 billion dollars for the first time, growing to a scale of 1.8 trillion won, with export volume more than doubling.

 

◆ The top contributor to ramen exports abroad: Buldak Bokkeum-myeon

Samyang Foods' 'Buldak Bokkeum-myeon' has played a crucial role in expanding Korean ramen into international markets.

 

Buldak Bokkeummyeon has gained great popularity both domestically and internationally since its release in 2012 due to its intense spiciness. Although it received mixed reactions among Koreans accustomed to spicy food at the time of launch, it quickly gained popularity through various challenges and mukbang content on social media. Buldak Bokkeummyeon, with its addictive flavor, has secured a loyal customer base among spicy food enthusiasts and has now established itself as a representative Korean ramen.

The popularity of Buldak Bokkeum-myeon has also spread overseas. Last year, news spread that one of the Buldak Bokkeum-myeon series, 'Nuclear Buldak Bokkeum-myeon,' was recalled in Denmark due to being "too spicy," drawing international attention. This incident further increased interest in the spiciness of Buldak Bokkeum-myeon, and many foreigners took on the challenge.

As exports of Buldak Bokkeum-myeon surged overseas, a shortage of Buldak Bokkeum-myeon occurred in domestic convenience stores. This was because, with limited production capacity, the rapid increase in overseas export orders made it difficult to meet domestic demand simultaneously.

 

◆ Unique convenience store combinations using spicy chicken stir-fried noodles are also popular

As the popularity of Buldak Bokkeum-myeon continues to rise, the convenience store "honey combo" recipes that go well with the product are also gaining a lot of popularity.

 

The most iconic honey combination is the triangle gimbap. First, eat some of the spicy fire noodles, then put the microwave-heated triangle gimbap into the sauce and mix, creating spicy fire rice. The variety of ingredients inside the triangle gimbap adds different flavors, making it a more unique and enjoyable experience.

In addition, there are corn cheese spicy chicken ramen topped with corn kernels and melted cheese, and spicy chicken jjajang mixed with black bean paste and spicy chicken ramen.

 

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Buldak Bokkeum-myeon has become a key export product, playing a leading role in our country's ramen exports.

That's really amazing ^^

 

There are so many types of spicy chicken stir-fried noodles, I'm proud of Samyang~