Nongshim to launch new kimchi-flavored ramyeon after success of 'KPop Demon Hunters' collaboration

Nongshim said on Sunday that it will launch a new kimchi-flavored Shin Ramyun product next month after consumers responded positively to an earlier version featuring characters from the Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters.”

Nongshim's new kimchi-flavored Shin Ramyun product [YONHAP]

Nongshim, the country's leading instant noodle maker, said on Sunday that it will launch a new kimchi-flavored Shin Ramyun product next month after consumers responded positively to an earlier version featuring characters from the Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters.”

The company plans to introduce a limited run of Shin Ramyun Kimchi Stir Fry in the domestic market through the discount store chain Emart on Nov. 24 before rolling it out to global markets — first in Australia and Taiwan.

“With Shin Ramyun Kimchi Stir Fry, we are targeting 60 to 70 markets [worldwide] and considering an instant cup noodle version,” Shim Gou-chul, the executive vice president of Nongshim's global marketing division, said in a press conference at the company's main production facility in Gumi, some 200 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

The new product follows Shin Ramyun Toomba, which has sold about 60 million units worldwide since its debut in October. Nongshim hopes the kimchi-flavored noodles will match that success, Shim said.

Nongshim's global brand recognition has risen sharply, helped by two limited-edition batches of instant cup noodles featuring the “KPop Demon Hunters” virtual girl group HUNTR/X on the packaging. The movie also depicts Korean cup noodles and snacks that resemble Nongshim's products.

To meet growing overseas demand, Nongshim is expanding production at home. The company operates five ramyeon — or instant noodles — plants in Korea, including two in the southern port city of Busan, with a third Busan plant dedicated exclusively to exports now under construction. It also runs three factories in China and two in the United States.

With its expanded network, Nongshim aims to boost overseas sales, which currently make up 38 percent of its total sales.

In the first half of this year, the company reported sales of 1.76 trillion won ($1.2 billion). Its third-quarter results are expected to be revealed next week.

Holding roughly 60 percent of Korea's 2 trillion-won instant noodle market, Nongshim recently adopted a new slogan, “Spicy Happiness in Noodles,” as part of its efforts to bring Korean flavors to more international consumers.

“To help people around the world experience the spicy joy of Shin Ramyun with all five of their senses, Nongshim is building a global marketing strategy around three key pillars: seeing, tasting and enjoying,” Shim said.

The “Seeing” initiative centers on global content collaborations, such as Nongshim's partnership with “KPop Demon Hunters,” which generated strong buzz abroad.

“Starting with their U.S. launch in September, collaboration products are expanding to more global markets this year. Through these partnerships, Nongshim aims to strengthen the global image of K-ramyeon by linking it with Korean culture and deepening engagement with younger consumers,” Shim said.

The company is also broadening its direct-to-consumer experiences. It has opened Shin Ramyun Bunsik restaurants in Machu Picchu, Peru; Harajuku, Japan; and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and plans to expand to China and Russia next year through its Shin Ramyun Experience Store project.

At home, Nongshim has partnered with the Gumi municipal government to host the 2025 Gumi Ramyun Festival, now in its fourth year. The festival runs from Friday to Sunday in Gumi.

This year's festival transformed the area around the Gumi train station into the 475-meter-long (1,558.4-feet-long) world's longest ramyeon restaurant, featuring interactive zones such as the Gumi Ramyeon Lab, where visitors can create personalized noodles, and the Global Ramyeon Chef contest, where international participants can showcase their own creative recipes.

“In a U.S. consumer recognition survey, Shin Ramyun ranked the highest among instant noodle brands,” said Gumi Mayor Kim Jang-ho. “Gumi, once a major manufacturing hub, needs new initiatives to revitalize its economy. This ramyeon festival is part of those efforts.”

Yonhap