In February, Korea’s instant noodle exports reached a record high. As the green light has been given to instant noodle exports since the beginning of the year, Korea’s ramen exports are expected to exceed USUS$1 billion for the first time this year.
Korea’s instant noodle exports last month was the highest ever on a monthly basis at US$93 million, up 31.5 percent from the same month of 2023, according to the Korea Customs Service’s trade statistics on March 21. This passed the previous record of US$91 million set in November 2023.
The volume of instant noodles exported last month came in at 23,000 tons, up 20.0 percent year on year. The United States accounted for the largest share of exports (US$19.84 million), followed by China (US$15.2 million), the Netherlands (US$6.04 million) and Japan (US$55.2 million). Malaysia (US$4.76 million), the Philippines (US$4.3 million), Thailand (US$3.87 million), Taiwan (US$3.26 million), the United Kingdom (US$2.91 million), and Australia (US$2.71 million) rounded out the top 10. Among Middle Eastern countries, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) topped the list with US$1.85 million.
Korea’s ramen exports are expected to cross US$1 billion annually for the first time this year. They have been breaking records for nine years running until 2023 when they reached a record high of US$220 million in 2015. If the export figure breaks through the US$1 billion milestone for the first time this year, it will mark the 10th consecutive year of setting a new ramen export record.
This figure includes the amount of ramen produced in Korea and exported to foreign countries only but Korean ramen makers’ global export figure will soar if including the amount of Korean ramen produced at factories and sold in overseas countries.
The growing popularity of Korean ramen is being fueled by a big interest in Korean food among people who enjoy the Korean Wave such as K-pop and K-food. Ramen is frequently featured in Korean movies and TV shows, including in the movie “Parasite,” which claimed four prizes at the 2020 Academy Awards, and the Netflix series “Squid Game.”
In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic Korean ramen became more recognized as a reasonably priced meal among people in foreign countries. Customized strategies based on a focus on local tastes such as those of people in Islamic cultures are also contributing to driving Korean ramen’s popularity. In February, Korea’s imports of instant noodles amounted to US$19.1 million, leading to a record ramen trade surplus of US$901 million.