Nongshim and Samyang Foods, the two major Korean instant noodle manufacturers, are competing fiercely in the overseas market

On the 24th of last month, South Korean media outlet E-Daily reported that "the competition between Nongshim and Samyang Foods is intensifying for the crown of K-ramen (Korean ramen)."
Nongshim's "Shin Ramyun" and Samyang Foods' "Blood Fried Noodles" are well-known overseas, and with the growing popularity of Korean food (K-food) worldwide, both companies are focusing on expanding into overseas markets.
Nongshim, which celebrated its 60th anniversary this year, was founded by Shin Chun-ho (1930-2021), who was involved in the confectionery business at Lotte, in order to start an instant ramen business.
It was established as an independent company from Lotte. When it was first established, the company name was Lotte Industries. It was changed to Nongshim in 1978. It was Mr. Shin who developed "Shin Ramyun." Shin Ramyun was a huge hit and is now sold in Japan, the United States, and other countries.
Nongshim's sales this year increased 2.48% from last year to 3.5249 trillion won (approximately 373.559 billion yen), and its operating profit increased 21.26% to 197.7 billion won.
The main battlefield is overseas, with the company working to expand sales of its flagship product, Shin Ramyun, mainly in the United States, where a Korean food boom is taking place, and in Japan and China, where the economy continues to grow at a high rate of 20% annually.
Recently, the company also established a European subsidiary. Last month, the company announced that it would appoint the popular Korean girl group "AESPA" as the first global ambassador for "Shin Ramyun."
By appointing "aespa," which is popular not only in Korea but also around the world, as an ambassador, the company aims to increase brand awareness in the global market. "aespa" is the brand name of Shin Ramyun.
Under the brand slogan "Spicy Happiness In Noodles," the campaign will promote the taste, identity, and cultural appeal of Shin Ramyun.
As the first step, a new music video-style commercial was released on Nongshim Global Official YouTube on the 19th of last month. According to the company,
The song is "Spice Up Yourself," a signature song released by the British pop group Spice Girls in 1997.
The company says that this is a reinterpretation of "Life" in a way that brings out the charm of "aespa."
"The video expresses the message that we will deliver the unique 'Spicy Happiness' of Shin Ramyun to consumers around the world."
The song also includes the "Shin Ramyun Dance," in which the members express the word "SHIN" with their finger movements. In Japan, "Shin Ramyun Toowoomba" was recently featured in the economic information magazine "Nikkei Trend."
"Shin Ramyun Toowoomba" is a popular product among young people, with a spicy creamy taste and chewy texture.
According to a report by the Korean news agency Yonhap News, cup noodles were first released in Japan at 7-Eleven in April. One million units were sold in two weeks. Bag noodles were also released in September.
It has also started to be sold at Family Mart and Lawson, and the cumulative sales have exceeded 7 million units. The Korean food manufacturer that is following Nongshim is Samyang Foods. It has taken the top share to beat Nongshim's Shin Ramyun.
Although it has been taken over by the Korean food industry, Samyang Foods was the first to release instant ramen in Korea. Samyang Ramen, which was released in 1963, was a convenient food item in Korea, where food shortages continued after the Korean War.
The product was invented by the late founder, Jung Jun-yoon, as a food that could be used in the home. The background to the creation of this product was that Jung's desire to relieve the poverty of the people was met by Kiyosumi Okui of Myojo Foods in Japan.
The president (at the time) was so sympathetic that Myojo Foods offered to provide the technology free of charge. Samyang Foods established a Japanese subsidiary in 2019. The company released the super spicy instant ramen in 2012.
The ramen "BLUDAK Stir-fried Noodles" became a huge hit around the world after spreading on YouTube. It is also sold in Japan. In addition, "BLUDAK Stir-fried Noodles" has helped foreigners to get used to Korean spicy instant noodles.
The "Fire Noodle Challenge," in which people try to make ramen noodles, has spread worldwide, and "Modi SHOO-MA (Modi SHOO-MA)," in which consumers modify existing products to create products that do not yet exist in the world, has also become popular.
In June of this year, DenMARK recalled three products in the "BLUDAC Stir-fried Noodles" series because they were "too spicy."
) and this news was reported around the world, which further increased interest in "BLUDAC Stir-fried Noodles."
Samyang Foods' sales this year increased 37.37% year-on-year to 2.3737 trillion won, and its operating profit was 55.16
The company is also focusing on expanding into overseas markets, with five overseas subsidiaries in Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Jakarta, Indonesia.
This year's export value of Korean ramen exceeded 1.02 billion dollars (approximately 159.486 billion yen), the highest ever. Edaily reported, "In the industry, the two companies are gaining popularity as brands in overseas markets.
"They are all saying that they are in a fierce battle for the top spot with their marketing power and marketing strategy," he said.
"There is growing interest in which of these two ramen brands, Nongshim's Shin Ramyun and Nongshim's Shin Ramyun, which have been at the top of the Korean ramen industry, will come out on top," an industry insider said.