"Look at This Display": Nissin's Bold Reveal Backfires as It Gets Squeezed by K-Ramen [K-Ramen on the Offensive]②

Clash Between K-Ramen and Global Players in the U.S., Europe, and China
Nongshim Overtook Nissin in 2017, Gap With Samyang Narrows
Samyang Foods Expected to Surpass 2 Trillion Won in Overseas Sales Thanks to Buldak Success

Photo taken from the financial results announcement document for the fiscal year 2025 released by Japanese Nissin Foods in May. Screenshot of Nissin Foods' performance data

#On May 14, a single photo featured in the previous year's earnings report published on the official website of Japanese company Nissin Foods attracted the attention of the global ramen industry. The photo, taken of shelves in a German supermarket, was pointed out by Nissin Foods to emphasize the central placement of their instant ramen. However, products such as Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun, Soon Ramyun, and Kimchi Ramyun were also prominently displayed side by side. Notably, the packaging of the brand "Namdong"—launched last year by UK-based Unilever and inspired by Korean ramen trends—drew interest for its Hangul lettering and tiger character. Industry experts see this moment as a decisive scene illustrating the rapid growth of K-ramen.

K-ramen brands, led by Nongshim and Samyang Foods, are quickly catching up with Japan—the home of instant noodles—in major global markets. In the United States, which is the world’s largest consumer market, Nongshim, South Korea’s top ramen company, has already surpassed Nissin Foods, while Samyang Foods, fueled by the worldwide sensation of Buldak Bokkeum Myeon, is closing in fast.

According to Euromonitor, as of 2024, Nissin Foods has two brands in the U.S. ramen market: Nissin (ranking 3rd with 8.4% share) and Top Ramen (5th with 5.3%). The Japanese company Toyo Suisan’s “Maruchan” dominates with a market share of 31.8%. Nissin lost its second place in 2017 to Nongshim. Even combining Nissin Foods’ premium brand “Nissin” and its base brand “Top Ramen,” the 2024 combined market share stands at 13.7%, lagging behind Nongshim’s 16.0%.

"Win Over Global Taste Buds"… Korea and Japan’s Ramen Market Share Battle

The bigger turning point is that Samyang Foods’ market share skyrocketed from 2.1% in 2021 to 6.1% in 2024, moving its ranking from 6th to 4th place in that time frame, thanks to the popularity of Buldak Bokkeum Myeon. As a result, Top Ramen fell from 4th to 5th place in 2024. The market share gap between Samyang Foods and the third-ranked premium brand Nissin narrowed from 4.8 percentage points to 2.3 percentage points during the same period, heightening the sense of competition.

In the U.S., the top ten ramen brands (including the three mentioned above) now break down as 47.5% Japanese brands and 22.1% Korean brands in terms of market share. Comparing these 2024 numbers with 2021, the Korea–Japan gap has slightly narrowed, from a difference of 26.9 percentage points to 25.4 percentage points. Fierce competition between Korean and Japanese brands to capture U.S. consumers’ palates via mainstream channels is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.

K-ramen’s market share is also on the rise in Europe. In Germany, according to 2024 data, Nissin leads with a 22.4% share, but Samyang Foods quickly expanded from 4.1% in 2022 to 11.0% in 2023 and 12.1% in 2024, securing the second spot. Samyang Foods, which was not even included in the rankings as of 2021, vaulted to second place within just three years. Nongshim ranks fifth with a 6.0% share, following Thailand's YumYum (10.6%) and Switzerland's Maggi (7.2%).

In China, Nissin ranked 5th with a 1.5% share in 2024, Samyang Foods ranked 8th with 1.2%, and Nongshim ranked 10th with 0.8%. While top brands’ shares have not fluctuated much within China, Samyang Foods has increased its share by 0.7 percentage points since 2021, quickly moving up the ranks.

Buldak Bokkeum Myeon and Shin Ramyun Soar... K-Ramen Boosts Overseas Sales

Global ramen makers are all vying for central shelf placement in major retail channels across key countries. While Korean and Japanese ramen products have traditionally been displayed in Asian food sections, they are increasingly being promoted to main aisles as essential product lines rather than niche, ethnic items. Consequently, competition for shelf space between Korean and Japanese brands is expected to intensify.

Japanese companies including Nissin Foods and Toyo Suisan, as well as Nongshim, have manufacturing bases in major hubs such as the United States and sell their products made on-site directly in those markets. Both Nissin Foods and Toyo Suisan have established U.S. manufacturing facilities since the 1970s. Meanwhile, Nongshim was the first among Korean ramen makers to open a U.S. factory in 2005, followed by a second plant in 2022. These facilities locally produce core products like Shin Ramyun, Shin Ramyun Black, and Yukgaejang Sabalmyeon for North American consumers. At the opening ceremony of Nongshim’s second U.S. factory in 2022, Chairman Shin Dong-won declared, “Let’s surpass Japan and become the No. 1 in the U.S. market.”

Samyang Foods, the company that sparked the “Buldak Bokkeum Myeon” craze, currently manufactures all its ramen products in Korea and exports them globally. Exports of Korean ramen to the United States, led by Samyang Foods and others, doubled over two years from 27,181 tons in 2023 to 51,343 tons last year.

Performance in the U.S. and other global markets is a core business sector crucial to the future of both Korean and Japanese ramen makers. Nissin Foods’ overseas sales rose from 243 billion yen (approximately 2.1 trillion won) in FY2022 (April 2022 to March 2023) to 290.8 billion yen in FY2024, but then decreased to 288.4 billion yen in FY2025. This result was affected by sales trends in the Americas, including the U.S. and South America. Although accounting periods differ between countries, this decline reflects a slowdown in Nissin’s international business.

By contrast, Samyang Foods’ overseas sales grew from 388.6 billion won in 2021 to 1.3359 trillion won in 2024 and reached 1.8838 trillion won last year. Last year, Samyang Foods exceeded 2 trillion won in annual sales for the first time in the company’s history. In the second quarter of this year (as announced recently), quarterly overseas sales topped 600 billion won for the first time ever, making it likely that annual overseas sales will surpass 2 trillion won this year as well.

Nongshim first surpassed 1 trillion won in overseas sales in 2021, and reached 1.4927 trillion won last year, maintaining steady growth. Once its export-only plant in Busan’s Noksan district is completed in October, Nongshim’s annual overseas sales are also expected to surpass 2 trillion won next year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.