"Virtual Reality Snack Bar Opens in Seongsu-dong"… Visiting Nongshim Shin Ramyun Popup

Nongshim Opens Shin Ramyun Popup Store in Seongsu-dong
Full of Attractions Including Shin Ramyun History and Photo Zones
Taste Ramyun by Preference at Cafeteria

'Shin Ramyun Cafeteria Pop-up Store' set up at S Factory, a complex cultural space in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Song Seung-yoon

"Eating ramen at a pop-up store?"

At around 12 PM on the 10th, a pop-up store located on the first floor of S Factory, a complex cultural space in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, was bustling. Despite the busy lunch hour, visitors began gathering in small groups even before the opening time. This place, with an exterior designed to resemble the red packaging of Shin Ramyun, is the 'Shin Ramyun Cafeteria Pop-up Store' operated by Nongshim. The pop-up store, which opened the day before, will operate until the 8th of next month. Following the great popularity of the 'Shin Ramyun Snack Bar' opened last October on the metaverse platform Zepeto among young people, an offline space was created to allow people to experience the virtual reality experience in real life. On this day, the pop-up store became crowded in an instant, with over 80 people entering within just 20 minutes of opening.

Upon entering the pop-up store, the first thing that caught the eye was the 55 Shin Ramyun packets decorating the left wall. On the adjacent wall, there was a map showing Shin Ramyun's presence in over 100 countries worldwide. It was a space that gathered everything related to Shin Ramyun in one place. In one corner of the pop-up store, actual Shin Ramyun products sold in various countries were also displayed. Although the packaging looked similar at first glance, it was interesting to see that product information, language, and other details varied slightly by country.

Products featuring photos of Son Heung-min, the football player and Shin Ramyun advertising model, as well as a signed ball and football uniform personally autographed by Son Heung-min, were also on display, attracting attention. Along the long corridor leading inward, the left wall was lined with a chronological record of Shin Ramyun’s history, including its launch in 1986, annual sales records, and new product release dates, allowing visitors to see the history of Shin Ramyun at a glance. On the right side, major products released by Nongshim were similarly recorded by year.

Passing through this space, another area filled with various interactive experiences appeared. From photo zones where visitors could take fun pictures, such as the Infinity Mirror Zone, Giant Noodle Photo Zone, and Life Four-Cut Photo Booth, to a message wall where visitors could write New Year's greetings and print them as ribbons, a game zone offering prizes for posting certification shots with hashtags, and a goods zone where various Shin Ramyun merchandise could be purchased, there was a wealth of sights and activities all gathered in one place.

Visitors are browsing the displayed products at the goods zone set up in the Nongshim Shin Ramyun Cafeteria pop-up store experience space. Photo by Song Seung-yoon

The most popular spot was the cafeteria where visitors could cook and eat Shin Ramyun themselves. The tasting experience session at 1 PM was fully booked immediately upon entry at noon. Here, just like in Zepeto’s 'Shin Ramyun Snack Bar,' visitors could choose the level of spiciness, type of noodles, and dried soup ingredients according to their preferences and cook their own Shin Ramyun.

A Nongshim official said, "We planned this pop-up store to communicate more intimately with consumers by bridging online and offline experiences," adding, "Since this space was created by bringing the virtual reality experience into the real world, we expect it to provide consumers with a special kind of fun."

Meanwhile, Nongshim released the 'Shin Ramyun Zepeto Big Bowl,' which is three times spicier than Shin Ramyun, the day before. The Shin Ramyun Zepeto Big Bowl is a product that actually presents the most popular combination among consumers at the Zepeto Shin Ramyun Snack Bar, with a Scoville rating of 6000 SHU. The Shin Ramyun Snack Bar created within Zepeto last October has been visited by more than 400,000 consumers.