[Anchor]
These days, Korean ramen is gaining popularity overseas.
Ramen mukbang videos are garnering millions of views, and famous personalities are quickly reviewing the taste.
As a result, the monthly export revenue of ramen has reached a record high.
This is reporter Song Jeong-hyun.
[Reporter]
In front of the ramen sales section at a large mart in Seoul.
There are more foreign customers than Koreans.
[Mina Funatsu / Japan]
“I’ve tried Shin Ramyun, Buldak, Neoguri. I saw them in Korean TV shows and dramas. They are so spicy that I eat them with cheese and eggs.”
[Vet Gallu / Indonesia]
“I like spicy food. I find Korean ramen interesting because it has special ingredients.”
Last month, Korea’s ramen export revenue exceeded $100 million monthly for the first time, recording approximately 1.47 trillion Korean won. This is a 46.8% increase from a year ago.
Unlike Nongshim, which has overseas factories, Samyang Foods, which produces all products domestically for export, saw growth led by its Buldak Stir-fried Noodles.
Thanks to the popularity in the overseas market, Samyang Foods surpassed Nongshim, the top company in the ramen industry, for the first time in market capitalization.
After gaining recognition through K-pop stars and K-dramas, the K-ramen craze intensified with overseas stars like rapper Cardi B joining mukbangs.
The spicy ramen eating challenge also became a trend.
The New York Times introduced the scarcity of less spicy stir-fried noodles compared to existing products, attributing its popularity to easily accessible mainstream taste and photogenic qualities.
It is expected in the industry that this year will rewrite the record for the highest export performance.
This is Channel A News reporter Song Jeong-hyun.
Video production: Lee Jun-hee
Video editing: Lee Hye-jin