Japanese Nissin Foods, recognized as the pioneer of “instant ramen,” is consistently introducing Korean-style ramen. In Japan, they have unveiled ramen featuring Korean flavors like Seolleongtang (ox bone soup) and Sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew). Internationally, they market ramen reminiscent of Korea’s Shin Ramyun and Buldak Bokkeum Myeon (hot chicken flavor ramen).
Nissin Foods launched Seolleongtang-flavored udon and Sundubu-jjigae-flavored udon on Nov. 20, 2023. These cup noodle products are labeled with Korean characters for “Seolleongtang” and “Sundubu-jjigae.” In May of the same year, they introduced seafood jjamppong (Chinese-style Korean noodle soup)-flavored udon and seasoned chicken-flavored stir-fried udon in cup noodle form. Once again, the packaging included the respective flavors written in Korean.
As the world’s first company to produce instant ramen and cup noodles, Nissin Foods has faced controversy for a ramen that closely resembles Samyang Foods’ “Carbo Buldak Bokkeum Myeon.” As pioneers in the ramen industry, they not only launched products inspired by Korean companies’ ramen but also introduced ramen inspired by Korean cuisine.
Encountering this ramen in Thailand in 2022, a Japanese online media reporter wrote a review stating, “I thought it was Korea’s Shin Ramyun.” The reporter added, “With Korean characters on the packaging, it presents itself as a Korean product. While I, as a Japanese person, can discern the difference, foreigners who cannot read Chinese characters will likely not notice the distinction.”
Nissin Foods actively sells ramen with a focus on Korean flavors in the international market. Notably, these products showcase shapes and flavors similar to popular domestic ramen in Korea. Nissin Foods’ Thailand branch markets a ramen called “辢 (Lall),” emphasizing Korean-style spiciness. The red packaging with the black character ‘辢’ evokes memories of Korea’s Shin Ramyun. Alongside the description “Korean-style spiciness” in Hangul, the packaging also features the Chinese character ‘辛 (Shin),’ reminiscent of Shin Ramyun packaging.
A stir-fried noodle series similar to Samyang Foods’ Buldak Bokkeum Myeon is also sold in Thailand. The ramen’s name is ‘激 (Geok),’ and the Korean word ‘엄청 (Extremely)’ is written on the packaging. The product name, written in red on a black background, resembles the design of the Buldak Bokkeum Myeon packaging. Each variation of this ramen series, released in various flavors, has Korean characters such as ‘한국불닭맛’ (Korean hot chicken flavor) and ‘한국불닭치즈’ (Korean hot chicken cheese) written on the packaging in Korean.
In the domestic ramen industry, there seems to be a welcoming atmosphere towards Nissin Foods’ release of “Korean-style” ramen. An official from Nongshim said, “Proving the uniqueness of food is not easy, so legally addressing it is difficult.” They added, “The fact that a Japanese company, representing the home country of ramen, is following our Korean products is seen as a sign of the increasing influence of Korean food.” An Ottogi representative, currently selling ‘해물짬뽕’ (seafood jjamppong) ramen domestically, said, “We have determined that there is no similarity with our products,” and noted, “We perceive the released product as following the trend of launching K-Food concept products in Japan, such as including Korean characters in the product name.”
