[Report] US Mart's 'Sold-Out' Buldak Bokkeum Myeon... 'Fake Buldak' Filling the Gap, Actually Produced by Harim

Surging Demand for Buldak Leads to Priority Supply to Major Chains
Similar Black and Chicken Packaging Including Bulamen
Shortage Expected to Continue Until Completion of Miryang 2nd Factory

"Buldak Bokkeummyeon, you can't buy it even if you have money."

At H Mart in Koreatown, Manhattan, New York, foreign tourists flocked to browse Korean ramen and snacks for quite some time, reflecting the popularity of K-food. The ramen shelves were stocked with various types of ramen. There were Nongshim Shin Ramyun and Chapagetti, as well as GS25 PB products like Gonghwachun and Omori Kimchi Jjigae, and even Paldo Kkokkomyeon, which is rare to find even in Korea.

Counterfeit Buldak Bokkeummyeon 'Bullamen' displayed at H Mart in Manhattan, New York, USA (Photo by Im Onyu ioy@)

However, strangely, the globally popular ramen "Buldak Bokkeummyeon" was nowhere to be found. Both the bagged and cup versions were sold out. An H Mart employee said, "It's sold out."

Filling the void left by Samyang Foods' Buldak Bokkeummyeon were unfamiliar "knockoff Buldak" products. One product named "Bulramen" featured a black package with a chicken illustration, easily mistaken for Buldak Bokkeummyeon at a glance. It was difficult to find any brand or manufacturer name on the package, but it turned out to be an overseas-exclusive ramen produced under contract by Harim. It even had a carbonara flavor, just like Buldak Bokkeummyeon. The pink packaging with a chicken illustration evoked the carbonara Buldak image. In addition, Paldo's "Volcano Chicken Bokkeummyeon" and the unfamiliar Wang's Buldak Tteokbokki were waiting to be sold in place of Buldak Bokkeummyeon.

According to the industry on the 26th, the global popularity of Buldak Bokkeummyeon continues, and due to shortages, it remains sold out and difficult to purchase even in the U.S. Samyang Foods is running its Miryang, Wonju, and Iksan factories at full capacity focusing on export Buldak Bokkeummyeon, but the explosive increase in demand is still overwhelming.

Various K-ramen are displayed at H Mart in Manhattan, New York, USA.
Photo by Onyu Lim ioy@

Therefore, Buldak Bokkeummyeon is being supplied primarily to major retail chains in key countries such as the U.S. and China. By the end of this year, Buldak Bokkeummyeon will be sold at all Walmart stores, the largest retailer in the U.S. This is why it is becoming increasingly difficult to find Buldak Bokkeummyeon at smaller retail chains like H Mart. A Samyang Foods official said, "Globally, the supply of Buldak Bokkeummyeon is not keeping up with demand," adding, "The same applies to the U.S., so we have no choice but to adjust supply quantities based on priority."

Launched in 2014 and established as a representative K-food, Buldak Bokkeummyeon first gained fame through "spicy ramen eating challenges" on YouTube. Its popularity rapidly increased after BTS members featured it in their mukbang videos, and it continues to grow through viral marketing on platforms like TikTok.

Buldak Bokkeummyeon is credited with changing the perception of spiciness among the U.S. Gen Z generation (born mid-1990s to early 2010s). As more people have become familiar with and enjoy spicy flavors through Buldak Bokkeummyeon, the spicy food market is expanding. Moreover, the recent incident where the Danish government recalled Buldak Bokkeummyeon for being "too spicy" but then canceled the recall has further intensified the phenomenon.

The shortage of Buldak Bokkeummyeon supply is expected to ease somewhat when the Miryang 2nd factory is completed and begins operation in the second half of next year. To meet the rapidly increasing export demand, Samyang Foods started construction of the Miryang 2nd factory last year and recently decided to add an additional production line. Once the Miryang 2nd factory is operational, Samyang Foods' maximum annual ramen production will increase by 37%, from 1.8 billion units to 2.5 billion units. By factory, production will be 1.2 billion units at Wonju and Iksan, 600 million units at Miryang 1st factory, and 690 million units at Miryang 2nd factory.

The securities industry expects that with the completion of the Miryang 2nd factory, Samyang Foods' sales will expand to the 2 trillion KRW range next year. Samyang Foods' sales, which remained at 200 to 300 billion KRW in the early to mid-2010s, surpassed 500 billion KRW in 2019 and exceeded 1.19 trillion KRW last year. Sales for the second quarter of this year are estimated at 388.2 billion KRW, a 36% increase compared to the previous year. Operating profit for the same period is also expected to have increased by 87.2% to 82.5 billion KRW.