Korean food's global popularity leads to copycat versions in China, Japan

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Business

Sat, September 30, 2023 | 12:52

Korean food's global popularity leads to copycat products in China, Japan

Posted : 2023-06-06 15:41

Updated : 2023-06-07 15:56

An image of Buldak Noodles made by Korean company Samyang, left, and a copycat product made by a Chinese firm / Courtesy of Korea Food Industry Association

By Lee Kyung-min

A growing number of food makers in Japan and China are making products similar to or outright copies of Korean food favorites, exploiting the soaring popularity around the world of Korean culture and food.

Nissin, a Japanese food manufacturer, introduced a new version of UFO Noodles earlier this year. The cup noodle product has the Korean word "bokkeum-myeon" that means stir-fried noodles written on the packaging and is pink, similar to Buldak Carbo, made by Korean food maker Samyang in 2018.

Nissin's UFO Noodle / Captured from internet

While the packaging is believed to be an attempt to push up sales by imitating the famous Korean product, similar cases have been around in China, and even courts of law there acknowledged that some local products infringed on Korean companies' intellectual property (IP).

The Korea Food Industry Association said a Chinese court, in March, ordered two food makers there to compensate between 18 million won ($13,772) and 37 million won to four Korean firms ― CJ Cheiljedang, Samyang, Daesang and Ottogi. Their flagship products included ramyeon, or instant noodles, anchovy sauce, starch noodles and beef stock.

The association said the court recognized that the Chinese products copied the trademarks and designs of the Korean ones.

The March ruling was the first in a slew of legal battles fought by local food giants which filed seven suits in 2021 against Chinese food manufacturers.

Buldak Carbo made by Samyang / Captured from internet

Such cases of IP infringement demonstrate the rising popularity of Korean food products, especially instant noodles, around the world. According to data from Korea Customs Service, exports of Korean instant noodles reached an all-time high of $862 million last year, up 12 percent from 2021.

Some say Korean instant noodle sales in the global market are 1.5 times higher than figures shown in customs service data, since the agency's figures do not include sales of products manufactured in overseas factories. Nongshim, for example, operates eight production facilities outside of Korea.

According to market research firm Euromonitor International, Nongshim's U.S. market share stood at 25.2 percent in 2021, ranking second after Japan's Toyo Suisan, which had a 47.7 percent share.

Nongshim's overseas sales last year rose to over 1.6 trillion won, up 9 percent from 2021. Over half of its sales were generated outside of Korea, according to the firm.

Similarly, Samyang's overseas sales of 605 billion won last year were up 55.7 percent from 2021, led by its best-selling Buldak noodles. Over 67 percent of its sales were generated overseas.

lkm@koreatimes.co.kr