"Please Teach Us the Technology"—Korea Once Sought Help from Japan... Now Threatens the Origin Country After 65 Years [Advance of K-Ramen]①

Nissin Foods Increasingly Mentions K-Ramen in Earnings Reports
Launching Strategic Products in the U.S. to Counter Competition
Facing Off Against Nongshim and Samyang in Major Markets Around the World

#On April 10, 1963, Jeon Joong-yoon, the late honorary chairman of Samyang Foods, boarded a plane to Japan, his heart torn between hope and anxiety. It had only been two years since he founded Samyang Industries (now Samyang Foods), prompted by witnessing fellow Koreans lining up in Seoul's Namdaemun Market to eat "Kkulkkuli-juk," a porridge made by boiling food scraps from U.S. military bases in the aftermath of the Korean War. At that time, Japan was experiencing a surge of new instant noodle products after Nissin Foods developed the world's first instant ramen in 1958. Chairman Jeon visited several Japanese companies to request technology transfer and machine sales, but was rejected repeatedly. Some large companies refused to meet him at all.

"I can't return empty-handed like this."

The person Chairman Jeon ultimately met after much searching in Japan was Oku-i Kiyosumi, CEO of Myojo Foods. At the time, Myojo Foods had just released an instant ramen product designed to rival Nissin Foods after learning spaghetti-making techniques from Italy through considerable difficulty. The two men bonded over a shared philosophy of "caring for the people." Chairman Jeon arrived at a factory located far from Tokyo and studied the manufacturing processes, moving between the production lines over 20 times. He later recalled that the blend formula, considered a state secret at the time, was covertly provided to him through Mr. Oku-i's secretary despite internal opposition at Myojo Foods.

More than 60 years later, ramen—originally from across the sea in Japan—has become a driving force behind the “K-Food” boom and is now posing a serious challenge to Japan, the country of origin.

Yonhap News Agency

Japan's Pioneer of Instant Noodles Faces an "Unprecedented Sense of Crisis"

According to Nissin Foods' recently released Investor Relations (IR) report, the company has launched a major promotional campaign for a new product, "Bold Tastes of Tokyo," targeting the U.S. market. Previously, in November of last year, Ando Goki—President and CEO of Nissin Foods Holdings—stated during the earnings release, "As CEO, I feel an unprecedented sense of crisis regarding our current situation." Nissin Foods acquired Myojo Foods, which had previously transferred its ramen technology to Samyang Foods, in 2006.

This sense of crisis from CEO Ando—the son of Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant ramen—arises because performance has substantially deteriorated. Nissin Foods’ sales in the Americas fell 2.9%, from 168.6 billion yen (about KRW 1.47 trillion) in the fiscal year 2024 (April 2024–March 2025), to 163.7 billion yen in fiscal 2025. Core operating profit (excluding income and expenses related to new businesses and other extraordinary items) in the region plunged 34.6% year-on-year, totaling just 10.5 billion yen during the same period.

The Americas, including the U.S. and South America, account for around 21% of Nissin Foods’ total sales. With over 60% of sales generated from Japan, the U.S. remains its second largest core market. Notably, core operating profit in fiscal 2025 dropped 15.5% year-on-year to 70.6 billion yen, with 40% of that decline attributed to operations in the Americas. The company cited several reasons for the slump, including ▲ shortages of inventory at major retailers ▲ reduced profit margins due to increased promotional expenses, as well as intensifying competition in the premium market, and specifically pointed to the "rise of Korean companies" as a factor.

K-Ramen Thrives, While Nissin Admits Falling Behind on Trend Changes

Nissin Foods first explicitly identified a competitive landscape involving Korean companies in its earnings disclosures for 2023. In the May 2023 earnings announcement, Nissin Foods emphasized, "In the U.S. market, in response to the spicy flavor and chewy noodles—the hallmarks of Korean products—our company has launched a competing product. We now offer a wider variety of products, including competing and premium offerings, than our competitors."

In the second half of the same year, the company noted the U.S. premium instant noodle segment was heating up with the entry of Korean firms and committed to responding with new product launches and promotions.

However, in May last year, Nissin Foods ultimately acknowledged its delayed response to the rise of K-Ramen. As it announced an internal reorganization of its U.S. subsidiary, it stated, "We have been slow to adapt to changes in consumer preferences." The company admitted, "Consumers are becoming increasingly sensitive to texture and flavor, and their tastes are evolving through social media (SNS)." It also confirmed that instant noodles from Korean companies are seeing accelerated sales via TikTok and word-of-mouth. Nissin highlighted that it is responding to the spicy flavors of major Korean ramen by launching the "Geki" brand.

In its May 2025 earnings release, Nissin Foods commented, "While our instant noodles are still showing growth, the pace appears to be slowing."

Nissin Faces Controversy Over 'Carbonara Hot Chicken Stir-Fried Noodles' Imitation

Promotional material for Nissin Foods Japan's currently sold product, "Yakisoba Fried Noodles Korean Style Spicy and Sweet Carbonara." Screenshot from Nissin Foods official website.

This sense of crisis at Nissin Foods is evident in the numbers. After overseas sales rose from 243.0 billion yen (about KRW 2.1 trillion) in fiscal 2022 (April 2022–March 2023) to 290.8 billion yen in fiscal 2024, they declined to 288.4 billion yen in 2025. Performance in the Americas—including the U.S. and South America—was a major contributing factor.

Meanwhile, Samyang Foods achieved 388.6 billion won in 2021, surpassed the 1 trillion won mark for the first time in 2024 with 1.3359 trillion won, and reached 1.8838 trillion won last year. For the first time in its history, annual sales exceeded 2 trillion won last year. In the second quarter of this year, the company posted over 600 billion won in overseas sales for the first time in a single quarter, signaling that annual overseas sales are on pace to top 2 trillion won.

Nongshim saw its overseas sales surpass 1 trillion won for the first time in 2021 and continued its growth, reaching 1.4927 trillion won last year. With the completion of a dedicated export plant in Busan's Noksan district scheduled for October, expectations are mounting that annual overseas sales could exceed 2 trillion won next year.

Previously, in 2023, Nissin Foods drew controversy for launching "Yakisoba Fried Noodles Korean Style Spicy and Sweet Carbonara," a product strikingly similar to Samyang Foods' "Hot Chicken Carbonara Stir-Fried Noodles." Not only was the packaging similar—including the use of a pink color palette like Samyang’s—but it even included the Korean phrase "Bokkeummyeon" (“stir-fried noodles”). The product remains on sale today.

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