Number One for 30 Years Without Losing Its Spot... Even Tempted by New Products, People Ultimately Choose 'Shin Ramyun'

'초격차 Ramen' Twice the Sales of 2nd Place Brand... Cumulative Sales Reach 13.5 Trillion Won, a New Record
Exported to Over 100 Countries, Leading Hallyu Food... Rapidly Chasing No.1 Ramen in the US

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Nongshim Shin Ramyun, known as the "pride of Korean ramen," has maintained its position as the number one ramen brand in the domestic market for 30 years this year. On the 11th, a Nongshim official stated, "Following last year, Shin Ramyun continues to hold the top two spots in the domestic ramen market this year," adding, "Shin Ramyun first recorded the number one spot in the domestic ramen market in 1991 and has been the champion for 30 consecutive years, setting a monumental record."

Born in October 1986, Shin Ramyun dominated the ramen market in 1991 and has maintained not only the first place but also a gap more than twice that of the second-ranked brand. It has established an unrivaled position as Korea's only "super gap" (significantly widening the gap between first and second place) ramen brand. It is also rewriting the history of the ramen market. In 2015, Shin Ramyun became the first single brand in the food industry to surpass cumulative sales of 10 trillion won, and last year, it exceeded 13.5 trillion won (32.5 billion units). This is even larger than the ramen market size in China, the world's largest ramen market (approximately 10 trillion won). This is a monumental record that other ramen brands find difficult to challenge.

Early Shin Ramyun commercial.

◆ Ramen No.1: Samyang Ramen → Ansungtangmyun → Shin Ramyun = With Shin Ramyun's dominance lasting 30 years, only three ramen brands have reached the top in the domestic ramen market.

Samyang Ramen, born in 1963, was the first number one brand. At a time when people did not even know what ramen was, it popularized how to eat ramen through free tastings, introducing the first taste. Samyang Ramen held the number one spot for about 20 years after the start of ramen history until Ansungtangmyun joined the market. Ansungtangmyun, launched in 1983, gained tremendous popularity immediately upon release and overtook Samyang Ramen to become the number one brand in 1987, just four years after its launch. This trend continued into the 1990s. Ansungtangmyun led with a 15.5% market share, followed by Shin Ramyun at 14.0%, Yukgaejang Sabalmyeon at 6.9%, Neoguri at 5.8%, and Chapagetti at 4.9%.

Comprehensive Overview of the Shin Ramyun Brand.

In 1991, Ansungtangmyun passed the number one baton to Shin Ramyun. After Shin Ramyun's release, the industry saw a flood of spicy ramen imitating Shin Ramyun's taste. At that time, the ramen industry challenged Shin Ramyun with various new spicy products to leverage the halo effect of the number one product and attract consumer attention. Ramen brands emphasizing spicy concepts such as Ottogi Yeol Ramyun, Samyang Foods Hot Ramyun and Beef Spicy Ramyun, and Korea Yakult Shocking Noodles were launched, but ultimately, they were insufficient to catch up with Shin Ramyun's popularity. This brutal challenge to Shin Ramyun has continued to this day.

◆ Constant Evolution of Spicy Ramen = The secret to Shin Ramyun's popularity lies in its implementation of the spicy flavor Koreans love, opening the era of "spicy ramen." The initial goal of Shin Ramyun was to develop ramen that harmonized deep flavor and spiciness in a market dominated by mild and savory broth-based products.

Nongshim researchers purchased all varieties of chili peppers grown nationwide to experiment with spiciness and applied the cooking method of minced seasoning, mainly used in soups like gukbap, to create a spicy broth flavor favored by Koreans. The technical expertise of Nongshim's Ansung Soup Specialty Factory, established in 1982 with the philosophy that ramen taste is all about the broth, also played a significant role. Thanks to the soup factory's technology, hit products such as Neoguri (1982), Ansungtangmyun (1983), and Chapagetti (1984) were consecutively launched.

Shin Ramyun at the time of release (1986).

Shin Ramyun also opened new horizons in texture. The goal of Nongshim researchers was to create a noodle texture "thicker than Ansungtangmyun but thinner and chewier than Neoguri," and after developing and testing over 200 types of noodles, they completed the perfect noodle for Shin Ramyun.

Since then, Shin Ramyun has continuously pursued change. It launched "Shin Ramyun Black," which enhanced the quality of the soup to deliver a deep and rich flavor. Last year, it introduced the third Shin (辛) brand, "Shin Ramyun Geonmyeon" (dry noodles). While preserving the unique taste of Shin Ramyun, it uses non-fried dry noodles, characterized by a clean and refreshing taste. Considering consumers who prioritize taste and health, it lowered calories while improving quality. The market refers to it as the "third-generation Shin Ramyun."

Nongshim Shin Ramyun Gunmyeon cooking shot.

◆ Capturing the Global Ramen Market: 'Global 辛 World' = Shin Ramyun is writing a new chapter in the Korean food wave by exporting to over 100 countries worldwide.

In 2017, Nongshim became the first in the industry to place Shin Ramyun in all 4,000 Walmart stores across the United States and is expanding sales aiming for full placement in American retail giants such as Costco and Kroger.

Having established itself as one of the top three ramen manufacturers in the U.S., Nongshim is fiercely competing with Japanese companies centered around Shin Ramyun. Currently, the number one ramen brand in the U.S. market is Japan's Toyo Suisan (46%), followed by Nissin Foods (30%), and Nongshim (15%). Notably, Nongshim's market share has grown significantly. Ten years ago, Nongshim's U.S. market share was only 2%, but it has recently shown clear growth, rapidly catching up with the original Japanese ramen brands.

Shin Ramyun Bus in the United States (National Assembly Building).

A Nongshim official emphasized, "Shin Ramyun has become a Korean Wave food product sought after first by American consumers beyond the Korean-American market and is also popular among government agencies such as the Department of Defense," adding, "It is the most representative case of capturing the global palate with authentic Korean taste."

Shin Ramyun's spicy flavor is also popular in China. Nongshim is expanding its territory centered on over 1,000 Shin Ramyun sales networks spread throughout China. In particular, in China, it has established itself as a premium food brand sold not only as a simple Korean ramen but also at airports and tourist attractions.