**The Hidden Supporter of the Gumi Ramen Festival, ‘Nongshim’**
**Kimchi Fried Noodles with Shin Ramyun Also Unveiled**
**Expanding Globally with Noodles**
On the afternoon of the 7th, the ‘2025 Gumi Ramen Festival’ bustling with people was visited. Reporter Park Yeon-soo reported on this.
On the 7th, the area in front of Gumi Station in Gumi City, Gyeongsangbuk-do, where the ‘2025 Gumi Ramen Festival’ was held, was filled with the sound of people slurping noodles. A first-grade student from Gumi Jeongsu Elementary School, Kim Si-yul (8), was eagerly eating ramen with his small hands. He said, “I usually like Chapagetti the most, and today it tastes especially good.” Kim Bok-hee (58) also commented, “The noodles are very chewy and taste better.”
The reason behind the positive reactions from people is the freshly ‘fried’ noodles. The noodles used at the festival are produced on the same day, due to the nearby Nongshim factory in Gumi that produces Shin Ramyun, Chapagetti, Yukgaejang Saebalmyeon, and more, making Nongshim the hidden ‘star player’ of the ramen festival.
The Nongshim Gumi factory, which supplies ramen for the festival, produced 844.2 billion won of food as of last year, supplying it domestically and internationally. Their goal is to expand this to over 1 trillion won by 2028, producing 43 types of products including ramen and snacks. A fully automated system is in place. AI (artificial intelligence) is used to automatically detect packaging defects or weight discrepancies. It can produce approximately 600 packs of Shin Ramyun per minute with a high-speed production system.
In the festival, a 475-meter-long ramen restaurant was set up, accommodating about 2,500 people. Despite it being a weekday afternoon, there were so many visitors that finding an empty seat was difficult. Jeong Sook-hee (74) said, “It took 50 minutes by bus from Gimcheon to come here. I like seafood, and the whole squid seafood ramen is soft and delicious.”
There was a variety of ramen available. Twenty-five ramen eateries showcased new dishes using ramen. Unique ramen dishes like Honey Pear LA Galbi Jjajang Ramen, Smoked Pork Belly Cream Ramen, and Gumi Hanwoo Kimchi Ramen were sold, selected through a competition among local restaurant operators.
Woo Jeong-woo (50), who sold Smoked Pork Belly Cream Ramen, said, “I developed the menu starting early this year to participate in the ramen festival. I was inspired by young people’s love for carbonara pasta and added pickles to balance the rich taste.” Yoon Su-min (46) said, “I decided to place LA galbi on jjajang ramen using a sauce developed for a galbi business, and over 300 orders have already been placed, making me optimistic about sales.”
A Nongshim booth was set up at the festival entrance, hosting a Shin Ramyun Black tasting event by 3 p.m., where 200 servings were gone in 30 minutes.
Walking around the festival, a ‘hot item’ grabbed my attention—a bag made from five packs of ramen. People took commemorative photos with the bag. Kang Mo (57) said, “I came from Sejong and purchased the ramen bag first,” while Sim Mo (42) said with a laugh, “It’s affordable at 20,700 won, so I bought it because it was freshly fried ramen.”
Merchants near the ramen festival were also excited due to increased sales, as not only Gumi residents but also visitors from neighboring areas came. Nearby convenience stores experienced a deluge of customers. Kolon Sports stacked boxes of Shin Ramyun in front of their store, holding a purchase event.
An official from Gumi City stated, “This year, we’ve prepared twice the amount of last year, from 30,000 servings to over 80,000 servings,” adding, “The ramen festival helps publicize Gumi, and we hope many people come and enjoy it.”
Nongshim, having captured domestic consumers, is now seriously targeting overseas consumers by introducing ‘Shin Ramyun Kimchi Fried Noodles,’ unveiled at the ‘Anuga 2025’ food fair in Germany last October. The combination of sweetness and spiciness is key. Eun-ji Oh, team leader at Soup Development 3, stated, “We focused on presenting spiciness to overseas consumers while also capturing the sourness of kimchi.” The domestic selling price is 1,300 won per pack.
Nongshim is aggressively pursuing online and offline overseas market expansion, targeting Australia and Taiwan with its kimchi fried noodles. The Shin Ramyun brand universe will continue to expand. Kyu-cheol Sim from Global Marketing commented, “Shin Ramyun is a beloved brand with ample potential for expansion,” and “We will continue to develop menus that cater to local preferences.” Additionally, they plan to collaborate with online content such as ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ and conduct offline events to raise awareness.
Meanwhile, Nongshim is stepping up to secure supply by completing a dedicated export factory within the Busan Noksan Industrial Complex by the second half of next fall.