SEOUL, March 21 (AJU PRESS) -- Exports of South Korean instant noodles, known as Ramyeon, reached a record high of $93 million in February 2024, up 31.5 percent from the same period a year ago. The surge in popularity of South Korean instant noodles can be attributed to the global recognition of South Korean cultural content, including K-pop, films, and dramas.
According to data released by South Korea's customs office, Ramyeon exports totaled $93 million in February of this year. This figure surpasses the previous record of $910 million in November 2023. The instant noodles were exported to about 100 countries last month. The United States was the largest importer accounting for $19.84 million, followed by China ($15.2 million), the Netherlands ($6.04 million), and Japan ($5.52 million).
Ramyeon garnered international attention with the introduction of "Ramdon," a mixture of two different instant noodles originally known as "Jjapaguri," featured in the 2019 film "Parasite," directed by Bong Joon-ho. The noodles' popularity soared further after the movie won awards at the Academy Awards in 2020.
BTS member Jimin has attracted significant attention by showing himself eating "Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen," an extremely spicy Ramyeon known as fire noodles, through live streaming content. Fire noodles, created by domestic food company Samyang Foods, are especially popular in Southeast Asia. Samyang captivated Southeast Asian consumers with its halal-certified fire noodles that are considered to be safe and clean under Islamic standards.
To meet growing global demands for South Korean instant noodles, Samyang has built an automated factory with an annual capacity of 600 million instant noodles. Food maker Ottogi selected BTS' Jin as the main endorsement model for its best-selling Ramyeon "Jin Ramen. Nongshim, South Korea's largest Ramyeon manufacturer, released the combined version of Ramdon so that consumers do not have to mix two different instant noodles to create the famous dish from the Parasite film.
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