Ramen Export Value Hits Record High... Surpasses $600 Million Last Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] As Korean ramen gains popularity worldwide, ramen export value last year reached an all-time high.

According to the Korea Customs Service and the food industry on the 14th, last year's ramen export value was $603.62 million, a 29.3% increase from the previous year. Converted at the year-end KRW/USD exchange rate (1,086.3 won), this amounts to about 670 billion won. By country, China ranked first with $150 million, accounting for 24.7% of the total ramen export value, followed by the United States ($82 million), Japan ($55 million), Thailand ($27 million), and the Philippines ($24 million).

Considering that some food companies have factories overseas and produce and sell ramen locally, the global sales of Korean ramen are much larger. Nongshim operates factories in the United States and China, producing and selling Shin Ramyun, Neoguri, Chapagetti, and more. Paldo produces and sells ramen in Russia and Vietnam.

The popularity of Korean ramen is attributed by the industry to the increase in 'stay-at-home' lifestyles abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought Korean ramen attention as an emergency food. The promotional effect of the movie Parasite, which won four awards including Best Picture at last year's Academy Awards, with its 'Jjapaguri (Chapagetti + Neoguri)' dish, also contributed. Last year, ramen import value was $4.68 million, about 129 times less than the export value.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.