[Exclusive] Samyang Set to Secure 'Buldak' and 'Buldak' Trademarks—Green Light for Both Korean and English

Intellectual Property Office Announces Application on the 4th—Finalization if No Objection
Just Two Months After Application—Government Support Requested in January
Not Only English but Also Korean Trademark Announced—Applies Only to Ramen

The trademark rights for Samyang Foods' signature spicy brand, "Buldak," have cleared the hurdle at the Intellectual Property Office. With the global craze for Buldak Bokkeum Myeon leading to a surge of imitation products overseas, Samyang Foods has been focusing on securing domestic trademark rights. This milestone comes just over two months after submitting the application and five months after Samyang Foods Vice Chairman Kim Jeongsoo emphasized the importance of K-brands and requested government support during a meeting presided over by President Lee Jaemyung.

Not only does it appear that Samyang Foods will secure the English trademark "Buldak" as initially applied for, but also the Korean trademark "불닭," surpassing previous Patent Court rulings.

Yonhap News Agency

Global K-Ramen Craze Drives Fast-Track Review

According to the food industry on May 5, the Intellectual Property Office announced on the previous day, the 4th, the publication of Samyang Foods' trademark applications for both the Korean "불닭" and the English "Buldak." Passing the examiner's review means that, after a 30-day opposition period, the trademark rights will be finalized as early as next month. Samyang Foods applied for trademark registration with the office on February 27 and was selected for fast-track examination last month.

Typically, trademark registration takes more than a year from the time of application to the announcement of the initial results. However, if selected for fast-track review, the initial results, including the examiner’s decision, are released within two to three months. For the "불닭" and "Buldak" trademarks, the initial results were announced just 35 days after the fast-track decision was issued. Given that the processing period for K-Wave trademarks is usually about two months, this case was even faster.

Image of Samyang Foods' English trademark 'Buldak' publicly announced by the Intellectual Property Office on the 4th

Image of the Korean trademark "Buldak" by Samyang Foods, published by the Intellectual Property Office on the 4th.

Previously, before being elevated to the status of the Intellectual Property Office in June last year, the former Korean Intellectual Property Office held a policy meeting to support export growth based on K-Wave companies and trademarks, promising to help expedite trademark rights. At that time, the office stated that the review period for K-Wave trademarks would be reduced to two months. Representatives from Samyang Foods also attended this meeting.

Korean "불닭" Trademark Restricted to Ramen, Boosts Distinctiveness

Earlier this year, Samyang Foods began efforts to register both the Korean and English "불닭" and "Buldak" trademarks domestically. The goal was to secure trademark rights in Korea, recognizing that lack of domestic registration could limit the company’s ability to claim rights in overseas trademark disputes. Initially, the Korean name "불닭" was not protected as a trademark in Korea. In 2008, the Patent Court ruled that "불닭" had become a generic term widely used by the public, and therefore, anyone could use it as a trademark since it had lost distinctiveness.

However, this time, Samyang Foods applied for the English trademark while also proceeding with the Korean trademark, and the office decided to grant "불닭" trademark rights specifically for ramen products. For sauces and similar items, "불닭" will continue to be treated as a generic term and excluded from Samyang Foods' trademark rights. The decision reportedly came after Samyang Foods submitted survey results to the office showing that consumers associate the "불닭" brand with Samyang Foods' "Buldak Bokkeum Myeon" in the ramen category. The English trademark "Buldak" covers both ramen and sauce products.

Due to Buldak’s global popularity, Samyang Foods has concentrated on trademark registration as counterfeit "knockoff" products continue to appear overseas. In global markets, names like "Boodak," "Bulramen," "Bulsauce," and "Hanguk Buldak Bokkeum Ramen" have been used for imitation products, and there have been numerous instances of unauthorized modification, use, and distribution of the "Hochi" character featured on product packaging.

Buldak Boosts Samyang Foods’ Trademark Holdings Beyond 1,000

This case received significant attention because it was mentioned during a meeting presided over by President Lee, where government support was actively requested.

In January, Vice Chairman Kim stated at a National Economic Growth Strategy Briefing chaired by President Lee that "Samyang Foods has registered trademarks in 88 countries worldwide but is currently involved in disputes in 27 countries," emphasizing, "Protecting K-brands overseas is a vital challenge." He asked for government assistance in securing trademark rights both domestically and abroad. Afterwards, Samyang Foods highlighted its efforts to secure the Buldak trademark through newspaper advertisements, stating that "this broadens the path for K-food exports and imprints the value of Korea’s brand on the world," and declaring that "'Buldak' is a unique brand asset owned and built up by Samyang Foods."

With the acquisition of domestic trademark rights for Buldak Bokkeum Myeon, Samyang Foods’ efforts to secure overseas trademark rights are also expected to gain momentum. As of the end of last year, Samyang Foods held 1,038 trademark rights. The number has doubled in just five years from 480 in 2021, reflecting the company’s efforts to secure trademarks alongside the global popularity of Buldak Bokkeum Myeon. Samyang Foods’ overseas sales reached KRW 1.8838 trillion last year, up 41% from the previous year. The share of overseas sales increased from the 60% range in 2021 to over 80% last year.

Samyang Foods launched Buldak Bokkeum Myeon in 2012. The spicy ramen became a worldwide phenomenon through social networking services (SNS), with export volumes growing rapidly. In the first quarter of this year, exports of K-ramen, including Buldak Bokkeum Myeon, reached USD 434.5 million, a 26.4% increase compared to the same period last year.

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