SEOUL (The Korea Herald/ANN): Exports of South Korean instant noodles, or ramyeon, pushed past the US$1.5 billion (S$1.9 billion) mark for the first time in 2025, extending an 11-year run of growth, data showed on Jan 11.
According to data released by the Korea Customs Service, annual ramyeon exports reached a new all-time high of US$1.52 billion in 2025, up 21.8 per cent from 2024.
The milestone caps a rapid ascent, as exports have doubled from US$765 million in 2022 and grown seven times over the past decade from US$219 million in 2015.
Since 2021, the figures have increased at an average annual rate of about 23 per cent.
China and the US together account for more than 40 per cent of South Korea’s ramyeon exports. The noodles are also extremely popular in South-East Asia now. Asean countries are also big followers of K-pop and K-Music.
Shipments to China rose 47.9 per cent on year to US$385 million, or 25.3 per cent of the total, while exports to the US amounted to US$255 million, or 16.7 per cent.
Exports to the US grew at an average annual rate of 68 per cent from 2022 to 2024, but a 15 per cent tariff appears to have weighed on growth in 2025, when shipments rose 18.1 per cent, below the overall export growth rate.
As ramyeon has become a growing export item, the country’s leading noodle makers have begun expanding overseas.
Nongshim launched co-branded products tied to the Netflix film 'KPop Demon Hunters' in the US and is ramping up its export capacity through a new export-only factory in Busan in 2026.
Samyang Foods completed its second factory in Miryang, South Gyeongsang province, in 2025 and is constructing its first overseas plant in China.
Given that major ramyeon makers such as Nongshim operate factories in the US and China, overseas sales of ramyeon products are likely to far exceed export figures, industry officials said. -- THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
