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Nongshim turns K-pop into worldwide instant noodle expansion
A Shin Ramyun ad featuring aespa fills a digital screen at Piccadilly Circus in London, Dec. 22, 2025. Courtesy of Nongshim
By Ko Dong-hwan
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ draws film fans to Shin Ramyun
Korea’s largest instant noodle company Nongshim is bolstering its drive to incorporate K-pop in promotions of its noodle and snack products worldwide, with the promising strategy emerging from the blockbuster success of "KPop Demon Hunters" last year.
Nongshim has long been a leader in Korean instant noodles, surpassing major rivals such as Samyang Foods and Otoki and controlling more than 50 percent of the market. It also competes neck-and-neck with Orion in the domestic snack market.
Nongshim is now gearing up to take on its rivals in the global instant noodle market , including Samyang, which has seen worldwide success with its spicy Buldak line of noodles. Nongshim hopes to capitalize on marketing with Korean musicians and artists to appeal to a broader range of consumers.
Following Netflix animated hit movie "Kpop Demon Hunters" record-shattering success, Nongshim made a concerted effort to appeal to the film’s 500 million viewers worldwide with special marketing that capitalized on the film's use of foods that resembled some of the iconic brand's biggest hits. At the center of the new marketing is Shin Ramyun instant noodles and Shrimp Crackers, both best-sellers that were seen in key scenes in the movie.
Nongshim will begin exporting special editions of their noodles later this month, themed around the main characters of the film, with Hamburger Cup, Superstar Cup and Spicy Queen Cup instant noodles. The new flavors will be exported to the U.S. first, followed by Australia and Canada.
Nongshim introduced a collaboration lineup of Shin Ramyun, Shrimp Crackers and other key products last year with Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters." Courtesy of Nongshim
This follows the stunning sell-out of 1,000 sets of Huntrix-themed Shin Ramyun cup noodles within two hours of premiering on Nongshim’s global online mall. Nongshim followed up with a second batch of the limited number series later in 2025. The packaging won the Grand Prize at the 2025 Korea Package Design Awards in December, in recognition of its contribution to Korean food’s global expansion.
Nongshim also unveiled a digital advertisement for a "Kpop Demon Hunters" Shin Ramyun tie-in at New York’s Times Square last October.
The company also moved forward with K-pop advertising in November with a marketing deal with Aespa for Shin Ramyun. The company declined to share its contract period with the group, hinting at flexibility depending on how well the campaign performs.
Ads featuring the band have drawn over 100 million views on YouTube within a month of its release. Offline, in December last year, Nongshim hosted a pop-up store at JFK International Airport Terminal 1 in New York and ran an ad campaign at Piccadilly Circus in London featuring the K-pop band.
Nongshim CEO Jo Yong-chul speaks during a meeting with employees at the company's headquarters in Seoul's Dongjak District, Monday, highlighting the firm's goal to expand its global market this year. Courtesy of Nongshim
“We will keep hooking up K-pop elements for our global marketing. We will introduce new products with aespa packaging on offline channels in our global markets,” said Kang Yu-kyung, a public relation team manager for Nongshim. The company currently exports instant noodles to over 100 countries.
Kang said Nongshim’s collaboration with the film was not planned to spike its short-term sales but was instead a starting point for the company’s long-term vision to embrace Kpop as part of its brand image.
“We released the collaborative Shin Ramyun in a limited number because we weren’t aiming for big bucks. It was our attempt to improve our global image and spread brand recognition worldwide,” Kang said.
Nongshim CEO Jo Yong-chul released a New Year greeting for its employees on Monday, highlighting “global agility and growth” as a slogan for the 60th anniversary of the company’s founding. He said a new manufacturing plant scheduled for completion later this year at Noksan National Industrial Complex in Busan is dedicated to exports and will allow the firm to bolster sales outside Korea.
"Shin Ramyun is the trailblazer of K-food that has overcome the global limitations of races and borders using its spicy flavor that has represented Korea for the past 40 years. I wish to walk the path of Shin Ramyun, a global nomad that turned uncharted lands into new opportunities, and expand Nongshim's global territories this year," Jo said.