From quick meal to comfort food: Korean instant noodles hold ground in China
An official inspects instant noodles products on display at Emart24’s K-Food Lab in Myeong-dong, Seoul, March 16. The store, which features 170 types of instant noodles, opened March 18. Yonhap
By Alice Li
Korean instant noodles carve out growth in China amid shifting consumer habits
Economic ties are often shaped by broader political dynamics, as evidenced by Beijing’s informal restrictions on Korean cultural products — the so-called “Korean wave” — following Korea’s deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in 2017.
Yet while the Korean wave — known as hallyu in Korean — has faded from China’s cultural scene, another wave, that of Korean instant noodles, has surged in popularity.
Korea has remained mainland China’s largest supplier of instant noodles since it replaced Taiwan in 2016, with export value rising 266 percent between 2017 and 2025, according to China Customs data.
This stands in contrast to broader K-food exports to China, which have fluctuated. Export value declined from 2022 to 2024 before rebounding in 2025, according to data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation cited by local media earlier this month.
“Compared with local brands, Korean instant noodles offer differentiated Korean-style flavors centered on spiciness, as well as a chewier noodle texture,” said a company official at Samyang Foods, the producer of the globally popular Buldak spicy instant noodles.
On the latest bestseller list of instant noodles from Chinese e-commerce giant Taobao, Buldak Original and its carbonara variant ranked eighth and ninth, respectively, while Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun placed 17th among the top 20 instant noodles.
The enduring popularity of Korean instant noodles in China is also against the backdrop of a broader shift in consumer preferences, the Samyang official added.
“Since its introduction, instant noodles have long been consumed primarily as a functional, convenient meal replacement. However, with rising living standards and a wider range of food options, consumers are now maintaining this functional demand while also seeking emotional satisfaction — such as stress relief through intense flavor experiences,” the official said.
“In other words, Chinese consumers are now willing to pay not only for satiety, but also for emotional value.”
In the past, instant noodles were typically seen as a last resort by Chinese consumers — something to fill the stomach with minimal effort. Most consumers would simply pour hot water into the cup and eat the noodles once softened.
Today, however, that perception is shifting. On social media, posts showing how to cook instant noodles in a pot and elevate them with a variety of toppings are gaining increasing popularity, turning a simple convenience food into a more elaborate and satisfying meal.
When Sally Xu, an office worker in China’s tech hub of Shenzhen, finishes work at 10 p.m., one of the foods she turns to for comfort is Korean Buldak noodles, freshly cooked with vegetables, a fried egg and kimchi.
“The spicy flavor is intense,” said Xu. “Sometimes it even brings tears to my eyes, but it helps me forget about work stress, at least for a while. None of the chili sauces available where I live have a similar taste.”
Visitors flock to the 2025 Gumi Ramyun Festival in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, to enjoy freshly cooked instant noodle dishes. Korea Times file
China remains the world’s largest consumer of instant noodles. According to the latest data from the World Instant Noodles Association, consumption in China was 43.8 billion servings in 2024, accounting for 35.6 percent of the global total.
As Chinese consumers increasingly pursue higher-quality and healthier food options, the high-end instant noodle segment — typically defined as products priced above 5 yuan ($0.72) per serving, a range where Korean brands are often positioned — is expanding rapidly. The segment is projected to reach 94.8 billion yuan, nearly doubling from 49 billion yuan in 2020, according to a research note by Chinese brokerage Founder Securities.
In contrast, the lower-end segment is expected to grow at a much slower pace, rising to 71.2 billion yuan in 2026 from 61.6 billion yuan in 2020.
Despite the resilient performance of Korean instant noodles in China, the rapid rise of food delivery services poses potential challenges.
China’s tech giants — JD.com, Alibaba and Meituan — have spent the past year in a fierce price war for market share, unleashing aggressive subsidies that drove milk tea to free and meals down to just one or two yuan.
Regulators have since stepped in to warn against such practices and the price war has shown signs of abating, but the on-demand delivery sector has grown into a nearly trillion-yuan market, according to data from the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing released Thursday.
Research by China University of Geosciences shows that for every 1 percent increase in the food delivery market, instant noodle consumption declines by 0.0533 percent.
“Food delivery services in China have developed rapidly, meeting demand alongside instant noodles as a no-cooking meal option for individuals and households,” the Samyang official said.
Despite this, instant noodles retain unique strengths, including reliable quality, affordable pricing and a wide range of choices, the official added.
With China-Korea relations showing signs of improvement, Korean instant noodle makers are accelerating their push into the Chinese market, as Samyang Foods starts building its first overseas factory in Zhejiang province.
Meanwhile, Otoki, another Korean instant noodles maker, said it aims to steadily approach consumers in China based on trust.
"We will remain focused on the fundamentals — that consumers choose high-quality products at reasonable prices — and aim to steadily expand our presence in the Chinese market," its official said.
Alice Li is a reporter with the South China Morning Post. She is currently based in Seoul, writing for both The Korea Times and the South China Morning Post under an exchange program.