Ramyeon exports hit record highs as K-food booms abroad [REWIND 2023]

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Ramyeon exports hit record highs as K-food booms abroad [REWIND 2023]

Published: 26 Dec. 2023, 14:00 Updated: 28 Dec. 2023, 11:37

SEO JI-EUN
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PARK EUN-JEE
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Videos of foreigners trying Trader Joe's new frozen gimbap product went viral on social media. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The unprecedented international popularity of K-food drove record-breaking exports of ramyeon, gim (dried seaweed), and cooked rice, causing shortages of gimbap in supermarkets.

Trader Joe's, a major U.S. supermarket, began selling frozen gimbap from the Korean company Olgot this year. The product went viral on social media and rapidly sold out.

Driven by robust overseas demand for gimbap, Korea's exports of gim and cooked rice hit historic highs during the first 10 months of this year. Gim exports increased by 20.4 percent to reach $670 million, while exports of cooked rice products surged by 29.9 percent during the same period.

Ramyeon exports also hit a record high, totaling $785 million in the January-October period, and increased for their ninth consecutive year. The momentum has been partially attributed to the success of the movie “Parasite” (2019), which featured the noodle dish jjapaguri, at the 2020 Academy Awards.

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]