CU blazes the ramyeon trail abroad with in-store cookers for 'Han River experience'
Published: 01 Feb. 2025, 07:00
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Ramyeon (instant noodles) are displayed at a CU convenience store in Kazakhstan. [BGF RETAIL]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/01/2e83d14e-1dd2-42a3-bd04-4558ed3a0b84.jpg)
Ramyeon (instant noodles) are displayed at a CU convenience store in Kazakhstan. [BGF RETAIL]
Convenience stores are fueling the global craze for ramyeon by serving as a place where customers can get their quick fix of instant noodles. Korean convenience store chain CU, for example, has found success overseas by equipping its branches with instant noodle cookers and selling popular toppings that pair well with ramyeon.
CU opened its first branch in Kazakhstan in March of last year, which also marked the first time a Korean convenience store was established in Central Asia, and has since opened its 24th branch as customers increased. The Korean ramyeon that the branches sell is especially a hit.
“I almost burnt my tongue because it’s so spicy,” one TikTok user says of the Buldak ramyeon she cooked using an instant cooker at a CU in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in a video uploaded to her channel.
There are over 50 of the self-servicing ramyeon cookers in the convenience store chain's 24 branches in the Central Asian country. Eating the noodles made with the cookers is trending. The chain’s second best-selling item last month in the country was processed cheese slices that are used as toppings for ramyeon, and two types of aluminum foil containers used to cook the noodles placed fifth and seventh in the rankings, respectively.
“We introduced the ramyeon cookers to export Korea’s ‘Han River ramyeon’ culture,” a spokesperson for CU said, referring to the popular pastime of visitors cooking and eating the noodles at stops by the river.
“It used to be commonplace for customers to eat cup noodles that require pouring hot water on top; the culture of eating cooked noodles with the instant cooker has spread after the machines were introduced,” the spokesperson added.
![Customers cook ramyeon using the instant noodle cookers equipped at a CU branch in Kazakhstan. [BGF RETAIL]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/01/cd3147c0-d9f2-43d9-a8b7-e00758ca930c.jpg)
Customers cook ramyeon using the instant noodle cookers equipped at a CU branch in Kazakhstan. [BGF RETAIL]
CU has a total of 623 overseas branches, including in countries like Mongolia and Malaysia. The chain’s record of ramyeon sales shows that four flavors of the fiery hot Buldak Ramen ranked in the top ten best-selling ramyeon for stores in Kazakhstan. Rather than the incredibly spicy original Buldak flavor, however, the relatively milder Cream Carbonara Buldak Ramen and the Carbonara Buldak Ramen placed higher. A CU employee said the flavors suit the local palate, which is accustomed to lighter flavors centered around a meat-heavy diet shaped by the nomadic culture.
“Items that neutralize the spiciness with cheese or cream are popular,” the CU spokesperson said, adding that “the mild flavor for Jin Ramen sells better” than its spicier counterpart.
A lot of locals also pour enough hot water to make Buldak Ramen into a soup, or will rinse the noodles in water before eating to alleviate some of the spice, according to store employees in Kazakhstan, adding a Scoville-tempering twist to the original way to eat the ramyeon — without a broth, as instructed on the back of the packaging. In consideration of the locals’ tolerance for spice, CU displays its spicy and less spicy ramyeon brands at a 7:3 ratio. This differs from the 9:1 ratio at branches in Korea.
Meanwhile in Malaysia, Buldak Ramen flavors made up the top nine best-selling noodles at CU stores. The hot weather there makes people crave stimulating flavors, according to a CU spokesperson. Hot flavors did well even outside of the top ten, with Samyang Foods’ 3X Spicy Buldak Ramen, Cream Carbonara Buldak Ramen and a spicy jjajang (black bean sauce) ramyeon trailing close in the rankings. Instant tteokbokki (spicy simmered rice cakes) and Korean-style chicken nuggets are also some of the best-selling items, and ready-to-eat meals that exemplify Korea’s red-hot flavors like gochujang (red chili paste) beef rice bowls; pink sauce Buldak chicken-flavored rice balls; Yangnyeom chicken rice bowls; and Buldak kimbap (seaweed rice rolls) are popular.
![Customers shop for goods at a CU branch in Mongolia. [BGF RETAIL]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/01/2483c7e9-f78b-4dbe-8d23-97adf96d9149.jpg)
Customers shop for goods at a CU branch in Mongolia. [BGF RETAIL]
In Mongolia, where meat is a major part of the diet, the locals’ carnivorous preferences were reflected in ramyeon sales.
Nongshim’s Shin Ramen and kimchi ramyeon were the top two contenders, coinciding with an increase in the number of Mongolians who have acquired a taste for the flavors while living in Korea, but meat-heavy noodles such as beef broth ramyeon and lamb stir-fried noodles were also in the top ten.
More than 1.8 trillion won ($1.25 billion) worth of Korean ramyeon was exported to over 130 countries last year; this is expected to quickly blow past 2 trillion won annually. Industry insiders say this is thanks to an increased demand for easy-to-cook instant foods following the Covid-19 pandemic and due to the instant noodles becoming more recognizable through appearances in Korean media such as in movies and TV series.
“Spicy products are trending even in countries where hot flavors aren’t the norm,” a source in the food industry said. “We are expanding new flavors that match the regional customers’ palates and not just spicy flavors that are enjoyed by Koreans.”
BY HWANG SOO-YEON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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