Why South Korean noodle companies are betting on an overseas appetite for growth
Shin Ramyun instant noodles are available at NongShim Co. in Gumi, South Korea, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. on the production line of the factory. South Korea is scheduled to release gross domestic product (GDP) figures on April 24. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Want some cheese flavored spicy noodles? Looking at export sales, the rest of the world can’t get enough of South Korea’s food exports, also known as “K-Food.”
Exports of “K-Food+”, a category that includes food products and agricultural industries, rose to a record $13.62 billion in 2025, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
This is a 5.1% increase on the previous year and marks the tenth consecutive year of growth.
The instant noodles or ramyeon were the standout. Exports rose nearly 22% to $1.52 billion, making it the first single food category to surpass $1 billion in foreign sales.
Cheese-flavored spicy noodles and other new products have resonated with consumers in China, the United States, and emerging markets in Central Asia and the Middle East.
“Global demand for Korean noodles continues to grow, and companies have increased production and stabilized supply chains to meet this,” the ministry said in a late 2025 report.
Other categories also attracted attention abroad, with Korean sauces benefiting from the demand for spicy and sweet flavors, and ice cream and fruit exports also increased.
Riding the coattails of K-pop
What makes South Korea’s humble packet of instant noodles so popular? Analysts say culture plays a big role.
The popularity of K-pop and Korean television dramas helped increase demand, and food was frequently featured on screen. Characters are often shown eating ramyeon in dramas, variety shows, and commercials.
Just as K-pop companies have looked abroad for growth, Korean food manufacturers, especially those selling ramyeon, are doing the same, said Oh Jiwoo, an analyst at brokerage CGS International.
Nongshim CEO Cho Yong-chul I told the employees At the beginning of 2026, he said that the company’s business principle this year is “Global Agility and Growth”, encouraging staff to expand its overseas footprint.
otoki CEO Hwang Sung-man said: At the shareholders’ meeting held in March 2025, Jin announced that the company known for its Ramen would prioritize “exploring global markets” and target overseas sales revenue of 1.1 trillion won ($746 million) by 2030.
CGS’s Oh said companies are looking beyond South Korea’s shores because the domestic market is saturated. For example, Nongshim, known for its Shin Ramyeon brand, has over 60% market share in South Korea.
“Their main products were first invented in the 1970s and 80s. And these products, [the] The same products are sold every year, [with] “There is no marketing cost,” he said.
South Korea’s demographic decline is also limiting long-term domestic growth, pushing companies to look abroad, Oh added.
As a result, noodle makers have turned to K-pop’s global reach and signed popular ambassadors and icons to increase their appeal overseas.
Nongshim tapped SM Entertainment girl group Aespa as global ambassadors in late 2025, following a collaboration with Netflix on the K-pop Demon Hunters themed noodle series. Otoki chose BTS member Jin as the brand model for Jin Ramen.
TOPSHOT – Visitors eat snacks near the ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ themed area at Everland Resort, South Korea’s largest theme park, in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on September 30, 2025. (Photo: ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP) (Photo: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images)
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Inflation and pricing power
Rising living costs abroad also increased demand.
Inflation has expanded the U.S. noodle market as consumers seek affordable, convenient meals, according to a November report from Macquarie.
Oh also noted that eating out in the US and Europe is very expensive. “Consumers want to save more, so they try ramyeon, it’s great and cheap.”
In the US, “food away from home” inflation exceeded 5.3% in 2021, a 13-year high, and peaked at 8.8% in March 2023. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Although inflation has decreased since then, this category last showed inflation at 4.1%.
Beyond a saturated market, South Korea’s instant noodle producers face government-imposed limits on price increases, restricting their ability to offset rising costs, Macquarie said.
Overseas markets, on the other hand, allow companies to set higher average selling prices, Oh said. He added that average prices in China and other Asian markets can be 30-50% higher than in South Korea, while in the US they can be roughly twice the average price.
Macquarie said dominant Japanese and Korean brands were benefiting from changing consumption patterns because of their focus on “product innovation and developing a premium brand image”.
Samyang Foods has been identified as the main beneficiary, and Macquarie predicts it can increase its US market share to 23.9% by 2028 from the current 11.4%.
“We believe premium instant noodles with strong product innovation will be the key driver for the US market,” Macquarie said.
Samyang Foods is known for its Buldak spicy instant noodle series, which gained popularity in 2014 with the “hot noodle challenge” in which participants tried to eat the noodles without drinking water.
trend led Subject to regulatory review in 2024 When Danish authorities briefly recalled some Buldak products with high levels of capsaicin that pose a serious health risk. The recall was later reversed.
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – JUNE 17: The Anjum family, on vacation from Pakistan, chooses an assortment of Buldak Samyang instant noodles at the CU “Ramyun Library” convenience store, a popular tourist attraction in the Hongdae district of Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, June 17, 2024. (Photo: Jintak Han/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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