’Kkokkomyeon’ to be exported to 20 nations

“Kkokkomyeon” instant noodle

By Jung Sung-ki

Korea’s popular instant noodles dish flavored with chicken broth is set to whet international appetites.

According to Korea Yakult Corp., the company has completed patent applications for “Kkokkomyeon” in 20 countries, including the United States and Australia.

“Demand for Kkokkomyeon has risen sharply in Korean communities in North America, Australia and other countries. The instant noodles are known to be sold by some private merchants,” a spokesman said. “There are several copied products on the domestic market, so we sought to file a patent application in foreign countries in order to prevent the sales of such ‘me-too’ products overseas.”

Rival companies have released similar instant noodles with chicken broth in recent months as Kkokkomyeon’s popularity soared.

“Besides the 20 countries, we’re proceeding with patent applications in nine countries in South America and Southeast Asia,” he said, adding exports of Kkokkomyeon are expected to start as early as January.

Released on Aug. 2, the ramen in chicken soup, based on a recipe created by popular comedian Lee Kyung-kyu, has been gaining sensational feedback and changing the landscape of the domestic instant noodles’ market.

As of November, nearly 69.5 million packs of the instant noodles, including 9.5 million of the cup-noodle version, have been sold. As a result, the fourth largest ramen maker in Korea reaped about 50.2 billion won in sales, quickly gaining ground on local rivals.

The 1.8 trillion-won-scale domestic ramen market is led by Nongshim, which has a 70 percent share with 1.2 trillion in sales last year. Samyang Food was next with some 12.4 percent, followed by Ottogi with 9.4 percent. Yakult placed fourth at approximately 9 percent, but its market share is expected to increase further to push aside the second and third rankers, according to industry officials.

There are a number of analyses on the success factors behind Kkokkomyeon, such as the comedian Lee’s fame and marketing through social networking sites.

Nevertheless, market analysts say Yakult successfully adopted a market strategy of “thinking outside the box.”

“The domestic ramen market had been obsessed with a red-colored soup made of ox bone as the standard,” said Choi Yong-min, brand manager of Yakult’s food and beverage marketing team. “The success of Kkokkomyun comes as we targeted the ‘hidden’ needs of local consumer by challenging stereotypes.”

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