SOUTH Korea’s exports of food, led by instant noodles, grew an average of 8% annually over the past 10 years on the growing global popularity of K-culture, a business organisation said.
Yonhap news agency reported K-food shipments doubled to US$7.02 bil in 2024 from $3.51 bil in 2015, with instant noodles, or “ramyeon” in Korean, leading the growth, according to a report released by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).
Ramyeon exports increased by an average of 20% a year in the past decade, helped by strong demand for K-pop and other K-content, as well as a growing preference for easy-to-cook and inexpensive meals amid an economic slowdown, the report said.
Last year, ramyeon topped other items with exports reaching US$1.36 bil, followed by home meal replacement (HMR) products at US$980 mil, beverages at US$940 mil and health functional foods at $820 mil.
The United States, China and Japan were the top three importers of Korean ramyeon products last year.
In the US, some Korean food products, including Samyang Foods Inc.’s Buldak spicy ramyeon series, have landed on the shelves of Costco Wholesale and other major discount store chains, a KCCI official said.
“A combination of increased sales networks in major markets and aggressive marketing has helped drive up the demand for Korean instant-ramyeon products overseas,” the official added. – March 6, 2025
Main image: The Korea Herald
