South Korean food manufacturer Nongshim is ramping up its overseas expansion strategy for Shin Ramyun as the company looks to capitalize on the growing global popularity of Korean food products alongside the broader rise of Korean entertainment and consumer culture.
At a forum in Seoul marking the 40th anniversary of Shin Ramyun, Nongshim executives said cumulative sales of the brand have surpassed $13 billion, with total global sales reaching 42.5 billion units since the product’s launch in 1986.
The company said overseas markets now account for roughly 40% of cumulative sales, with North America, China and Japan serving as key growth regions.
For Nongshim, Shin Ramyun’s global push reflects a broader shift in how Korean packaged foods are being consumed internationally. Once concentrated largely within Korean and Asian immigrant communities, Korean instant noodles have increasingly moved into mainstream retail channels and online food culture, particularly among younger consumers drawn to spicy flavors and customizable convenience foods.
Shin Ramyun has remained South Korea’s top-selling instant noodle brand since 1991, helping establish Nongshim as one of the country’s largest food exporters. The company first began exporting products to Los Angeles in 1971 and has steadily expanded its overseas production and distribution network, including the recent launch of a Russian subsidiary.
Chief Executive Cho Yong-chul said the company now aims to expand beyond traditional soup-based noodles and develop a broader range of products tailored to changing global demand, including stir-fried noodles and non-fried noodle products.
Nongshim reaffirmed its “Vision 2030” strategy, targeting approximately $4.9 billion in annual sales by 2030 while increasing the overseas revenue share to more than 60%.
As part of that expansion effort, the company unveiled a new product called “Shin Ramyun Rosé,” which combines Shin Ramyun’s signature spicy flavor with gochujang, tomato and cream-based rosé sauce. The product will launch simultaneously in South Korea and Japan on May 18 before expanding into additional global markets next month.
Nongshim said the product was inspired by South Korea’s “modisumer” trend, in which consumers create customized recipes using packaged foods and share them online through social media and video platforms.
The company has also increasingly tied Shin Ramyun marketing to Korean entertainment and youth culture as competition in the global instant noodle market intensifies. Recent campaigns have appeared in New York’s Times Square and London’s Piccadilly Circus, while K-pop group aespa was selected as the brand’s first global ambassador. Nongshim said related campaigns generated more than 500 million views worldwide.
Nongshim is also expanding experiential retail spaces built around Korean “bunsik” culture, a category of casual Korean street food. The company currently operates “Shin Ramyun Bunsik” locations in Peru, Japan and Vietnam, with another scheduled to open in Seoul next month.
Cho acknowledged that rising raw material and logistics costs tied to geopolitical instability in the Middle East continue to pressure food manufacturers globally. He said the company would carefully evaluate any future pricing decisions based on market conditions and consumer demand.
As Korean food exports continue expanding alongside K-pop, streaming content and social media-driven food trends, Nongshim is betting Shin Ramyun can strengthen its position beyond Asia and become one of the most widely recognized Korean consumer food brands globally.
