Nongshim and Samyang Foods have embarked on a campaign to target the Japanese market, known as the 'home of ramen.' They believe that success in the gourmet nation of Japan can help them expand overseas beyond Asia.
Nongshim and Samyang Foods are attempting to enhance their presence by launching new products in Japan, operating pop-up stores, and increasing consumer touchpoints.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on the 24th, last year's agricultural and food exports to Japan totaled $1.374 billion, a 4.3% decrease from the previous year. However, when it comes to ramen alone, the exports reached $62.5 million, marking a 7.9% increase compared to the previous year.
In response, Samyang Foods recently launched Chicken Flavor and Jajang Flavor variants of Buldak Bokkeummyeon in Japan. The Chicken Flavor is sold only in Japan and China, and it is not available domestically. Japan's Excite Japan reported the launch of the Chicken Flavor Buldak Bokkeummyeon, stating that it is "an instant ramen that allows you to enjoy the taste of Korea conveniently."
They noted that "'Bulgum' is a Korean dining culture where families and friends gather on Friday evenings to enjoy chicken and beer together," adding, "In Japan, people also enjoy the combination of chicken and beer, and in Korea, there is even a new word 'Chimaek' that combines chicken and beer, indicating a fondness for the pairing of these two." They further mentioned that "while the spiciness is stimulating, among the Buldak series, it has a relatively sweet and easy-to-eat flavor."
Samyang Foods established its Japanese subsidiary in 2019. While it had exported products before setting up the subsidiary in Japan, the soaring popularity of Buldak Bokkeummyeon, launched in 2012, prompted them to establish their first overseas sales subsidiary in geographically close Japan.
There have been cases where the Buldak Bokkeummyeon, popular in Japan, was released in Korea only later. The Yaki Soba Buldak, released in 2023, is one such example. It is a Japan-customized product that combines the spicy flavor of Buldak with Yaki Soba, a representative Japanese dish. After selling out 200,000 initial units within two weeks of its release in Japan, it was subsequently launched in South Korea.
Recently, Samyang Japan collaborated with the burger franchise "Mom's Touch," which opened a store in Shibuya, Tokyo, to launch Buldak Cyber Burgers. In August of last year, Samyang Foods increased its investment in Samyang Japan by 1.91 billion yen (approximately 1.732 billion won). Samyang Japan's sales increased from 2.1 billion yen in 2022 to 2.5 billion yen in 2023.
Nongshim has recently partnered with the Japanese tomato ramen specialty restaurant "Taeyang's Tomato Men" to launch three collaborative Shin Ramyeon menu items. These will be sold at 14 Taeyang's Tomato Men locations in Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Osaka until March 31. Last year, they also collaborated with the Japanese soup curry specialty restaurant Suage to launch 'New Suage Ramen,' incorporating Shin Ramyeon into soup curry.
They are also increasing consumer touchpoints. In September of last year, Nongshim operated a Shin Ramyeon pop-up store in Harajuku, Tokyo. It was the first time Nongshim had operated a temporary store since establishing its sales subsidiary in Japan in 2002. Visitors were able to taste six different Shin Ramyeon product types. The pop-up store attracted over 13,000 visitors over ten days.
On the 4th and 5th, a Shin Ramyeon Tumba advertisement was screened at the 'Golden Disk Awards' venue in Fukuoka, Japan, where they also operated a Shin Ramyeon-themed booth.
Nongshim plans to participate in the upcoming Sapporo Snow Festival in February to promote the Shin Ramyeon brand. Also, Shin Ramyeon Tumba, which has gained popularity since its launch in Korea in September, is set to be introduced to the Japanese market in the first quarter.
Nongshim's Japan subsidiary sales were 11.2 billion yen in 2021, 12.5 billion yen in 2022, and 14.5 billion yen in 2023, with projections of 17.3 billion yen for 2024. Last year's Shin Ramyeon sales reached 13.5 billion yen, increasing more than 20% compared to the previous year.
A Nongshim official noted, "By strengthening local marketing, we aim to double Shin Ramyeon brand sales to 20 billion yen (approximately 18.44 billion won) by 2026," adding, "We plan to cultivate various flavored brands that are different from Shin Ramyeon to achieve over 1 billion yen in sales for each brand in the medium to long term."