SEOUL: South Korea’s exports of instant noodles, also known as ramyeon, reached a new record high of nearly US$1bil in 2023, according to government data and industry sources.

       According to data from South Korea Customs Service, annual ramyeon exports were tallied at US$952mil last year.

       This was a 24.4% jump from US$765mil in 2022.

       The outbound shipments of ramyeon logged US$785mil for the January to October period in 2023.

       This broke the previous year’s record in just 10 months.

       Ramyeon exports have grown every year since 2015, when they totalled US$219mil.

       Exports grew steadily to US$467mil in 2019, before soaring during the pandemic to hit US$640mil in 2020.

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       The ramyeon boom follows the increasing popularity of South Korean content including K-pop, dramas and movies, the industry sources said.

       While the sales of inexpensive, convenient instant food generally increased during the pandemic, the rise of social networking services also sparked ramyeon-eating challenges, creating a viral sensation all over the world.

       A recent survey jointly conducted by the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Ministry and the Korean Food Promotion Institute also reflected the global perception of ramyeon.

       Among some 9,000 people living in 18 major cities across the world, 11.1% of the respondents said their favourite South Korean food was ramyeon, ranking second.

       The most beloved K-food was South Korean-style fried chicken, accounting for 16.5%. — The Korea Herald/ANN