Data released on Friday revealed that South Korea’s exports of instant noodles have experienced a notable surge in 2023, with the total value in the first seven months of the year reaching a record high.
The Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp. and the Korea Customs Service reported that the country exported $522.03 million worth of instant noodles, or “ramyeon” in Korean, between January and July of 2023, a 17.7 percent increase from the $443.34 million recorded in the same period of the previous year. This marks the first time that ramyeon exports for the first seven months of a year have exceeded the $500 million level.
In terms of volume, South Korea sold 134,791 tons of ramyeon in the January-July period, up from 124,413 tons the previous year.
The growing popularity of Korean culture around the world, as well as the increased demand for ready-to-eat food items due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have been credited with driving the impressive rise in ramyeon exports. Last year, the nation’s ramyeon exports hit an all-time yearly high of $765.43 million, while the total value of all noodle exports, including ramyeon, udon noodles, and other instant noodle products, also achieved a record high of $862 million.
South Korea was the world’s second-largest exporter of noodles last year, following China, according to government data.
A customer looks at a ramyeon package while browsing at a retail outlet in Seoul in this file photo taken July 5, 2023. (Yonhap)
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