Korean instant noodles such as seolleongtang and soft tofu stew have been introduced in Japan, while overseas markets are selling instant noodles that are reminiscent of Korea’s Shin Ramen and Hot Chicken Noodles. According to the industry, Nissin Food launched Seolleongtang-flavored Udon and Soft Tofu Stew-flavored Udon on Nov. 20 last year. The products, which were launched in the form of cup noodles, have the words “Seolleongtang” and “soft bean curd jjigae” written in Korean, respectively. In May the same year, Nissin Food launched cup noodles with the flavors of seafood jjamppong Udon and seasoned chicken-flavored stir-fried udon. Again, each package is written in Korean. Nissin Food is the first company in the world to make instant noodles and cup noodles. It caused controversy by launching a ramen that looks like a copy of Samyang Food’s “Carbo Hot Chicken Nissin Ramen.” The company, dubbed the origin of ramen, has launched a product referring to the latecomer Korean company’s ramen, followed by a series of ramen noodles inspired by Korean cuisine. Nissin Food is also selling Korean instant noodles in overseas markets. Notably, the products have similar shape and taste to those of popular Korean instant noodles. The Thai branch of Nissin Food is selling “Spicy Ramen” that claims Korean spicy taste. The black 辢 written on the red package reminds people of Korea’s Shin Ramen. Along with the explanation of “Korean spicy taste” in Korean, the Chinese character “辛” (spicy) is also written like a wrapping paper of Shin Ramen.
A Japanese online media reporter wrote a review, saying that he found the ramen in Thailand in 2022, “I thought it was Korea’s Shin Ramen.” The reporter said, “The packaging even says Korean, so it’s producing it like a Korean product. I’m Japanese, so I know different things if I look closely, but foreigners who can’t read Chinese characters won’t know the difference.”
A series of fried noodles similar to Samyang’s spicy chicken noodles are also on sale in Thailand. The ramen is called 激 and its packaging is written in Korean as well. The name of the product, which is inscribed in red on a black background, is similar to the packaging design of the spicy chicken noodles. Each package of the instant noodles, which has been released in various series, has Korean letters such as “Korean buldak flavor” and “Korean buldak cheese.” The Korean buldak flavor ramen is also being introduced as a TV commercial in Thailand. The commercial shows the model holding the ramen against the backdrop of a Korean restaurant. “It is difficult to legally respond to the demand as it is not easy to prove the uniqueness of the food,” a source from the farming industry said. “The fact that a Japanese company, the suzerain of ramyun, imitates Korean products means that Korean food has become more influential,” he added. “We judge that there is no similarity with our product,” said an Ottogi official who is selling “Seafood Jjamppong” ramen in Korea. “We understand that it is a product that has been launched in line with the trend of launching K-food concept products such as putting the product name in Korean.”
JULIE KIM
ASIA JOURNAL
