Supported by the global popularity of the Korean Wave, Korea’s instant noodle (ramyeon) exports surpassed USD 1.5 billion for the first time last year. The export volume has doubled in just three years, showing rapid growth.

According to export-import trade statistics from the Korea Customs Service on the 11th, Korea’s ramyeon exports last year were provisionally tallied at USD 1.521 billion (about KRW 2.2 trillion). This represents an increase of 21.8% from 2024 and marks an all-time high. Ramyeon export value has surged to twice the 2022 level (USD 765 million) in just three years, driving the overall growth in K-food exports.

As the popularity of Korean culture, including K-pop and K-dramas, has risen, Korea’s ramyeon exports have increased for 11 consecutive years since 2014. In the Netflix animation “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” which enjoyed great popularity last year, there is a scene where a member of the girl group “Huntrix” eats gimbap and cup ramyeon. Recently, “ramyeon” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary, published by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

However, the tariff policy of the U.S. administration of Donald Trump is having a significant impact on exports. Last year, ramyeon exports to the United States increased by 18.1% from a year earlier, falling short of the overall growth rate. Compared with the 66.2% and 70.3% increases in ramyeon exports to the U.S. in 2023 and 2024, respectively, the pace of growth has narrowed sharply. In fact, from August to December last year, when a 15% reciprocal tariff was applied, ramyeon exports to the U.S. rose only 1.4% year-on-year.

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