The export volume of ramyeon (instant noodles) in this year's first quarter hit a record-high USD 208 million. Shown is the instant noodle section at a hypermarket in Seoul. (Yonhap News)
The export volume of ramyeon (instant noodles) in the first quarter this year broke USD 200 million for the first time.
From January to March, such exports reached USD 208 million (KRW 275 billion) according to the government agency Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corp. and Korea Customs Service. The figure was up 14.3% from USD 181.93 in the same quarter last year to break a record high for the first quarter.
Overseas shipments of ramyeon have continued to rise since recording USD 50.77 million in the first quarter of 2015. They broke the USD 10 million mark in the same quarter of 2018 with USD 10.07 and the milestone of USD 200 million in this year's first three months.
The corporation attributed the export rise mainly to the global boom in Korean content. With the ever-growing popularity of Hallyu, the appearance of instant noodles in Korean dramas, films and entertainment programs seemed to lead growing interest in the food.
Another factor cited for such growth was higher global demand for convenience foods due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
etoilejr@korea.kr
