In Seoul's battle of Nongshim noodles, Shin Ramyun reigns supreme
Premium and mild instant noodle brands placed first in Jung District, where overseas tourists tend to congregate, while Chapagetti took more family-oriented and younger areas.
Customers look at instant noodle products displayed in a convenience store in Jung District, central Seoul, on April 26.NEWS1
In the battle of instant noodle brands, spicy Shin Ramyun placed first in most of Seoul's 25 districts, but black bean sauce-covered Chapagetti is favored in districts with more families and younger people.
Korea’s leading instant noodle maker Nongshim on Wednesday released its 2026 Seoul Nongshim Ramyun Popularity Map, an analysis of the company's first-half instant noodle sales at hypermarkets and super supermarkets — corporate-run neighborhood supermarkets — across Seoul.
Shin Ramyun was Nongshim's best-selling instant noodles at Seoul's hypermarkets. Chapagetti, Nongshim's instant version of jajangmyeon, or Korean-Chinese black bean noodles, placed second, followed by Neoguri Spicy and Shin Ramyun Gold.
Diving deeper into the statistical noodle bowl, Shin Ramyun was the best-selling product in 15 of Seoul's 22 districts with hypermarkets. Nongshim's flagship product marks its 40th anniversary this year and has been Korea's No. 1 instant noodle by sales for 35 consecutive years.
However, Chapagetti bested Shin Ramyun in six districts: Yangcheon District, western Seoul; Nowon District, northern Seoul; Seongbuk District, central Seoul; Seongdong District, eastern Seoul; Yongsan District, central Seoul; and Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul.
Nongshim attributed the results to differences in local demographics. Families tend to enjoy Chapagetti as a special weekend treat, while people in their 20s and 30s often enjoy cooking Chapagetti using a wider variety of ingredients and customized recipes.
A map released by instant noodle maker Nongshim shows an analysis of the company's first-half instant noodle sales at hypermarkets and super supermarkets — corporate-run neighborhood supermarkets — across Seoul's 25 districts.NONGSHIM
Yangcheon and Nowon districts — where Chapagetti reigns No.1 — have many large apartment complexes and family households. Households with two or more members accounted for nearly 71.7 percent of all households in Yangcheon District in 2024, the highest share among Seoul's districts, according to the Korean Statistical Information Service. The figure reached 67.3 percent in Nowon District, well above the Seoul average of 60.1 percent.
Seongbuk, Yongsan, Seongdong and Gwangjin districts, which also favor Chapagetti, are home to universities, office districts and commercial areas.
Younger adults made up a larger share of the population in the four districts than in Seoul overall. As of June, residents aged 20 to 39 accounted for an average of 30.9 percent of their populations, higher than the citywide average of 29.1 percent.
Bags of Nongshim's Shin Ramyun branded with ″KPop Demon Hunters″ (2025) images are on display at a supermarket in Seoul on Aug. 31, 2025.NEWS1
Jung District, central Seoul, was the only district where premium Shin Ramyun Gold and the milder Shin Ramyun Toomba ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in sales, respectively.
The district's popularity with foreign tourists may also help explain the trend. Home to Myeongdong, Dongdaemun and Seoul Station, the central district is a major tourist hub.
"Foreign tourists often pick up the two products as souvenirs because they capture Korea's signature spicy flavor," a Nongshim representative said.
If hypermarkets revealed local tastes, neighborhood grocery stores highlighted habits. Shin Ramyun ranked No. 1 in sales across all 25 Seoul districts. The sweep appears to reflect consumer preference for familiar staples when shopping close to home.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
