A Short History of Korean Ramyeon
Korean ramyeon began in 1963 as a 10-won answer to post-war hunger, built on a soup recipe handed over in secret at a Tokyo airport. How a cheap wheat noodle became a national comfort food — and how it differs from Japanese ramen.
TL;DR — Korea's first instant ramyeon launched on September 15, 1963, at 10 won a pack, created by Samyang founder Jeon Jung-yun to fight post-war hunger. The crucial soup recipe came from Japan's Myojo Foods — reportedly handed over in secret at an airport. A government flour-promotion campaign turned ramyeon into a daily staple, and it never left.
Most people meet Korean ramyeon as a viral spicy challenge or a movie prop. Its actual origin is much quieter, and much sadder: it was invented to keep people from going hungry.
1963: a 10-won meal
In the early 1960s, post-war Korea was still short on food. Jeon Jung-yun (전중윤 — you'll also see it romanized as Chun Joong-yoon), a former insurance-company president, was reportedly moved by the sight of people queuing for kkulkkul-i-juk — "pig-swill stew" cooked from US Army leftovers. He decided the country needed cheap, warm, reliable calories.
His answer launched on September 15, 1963: "Samyang Ramen," at 10 won a packet — confirmed by the Korea Herald, which notes it was "inspired by the concept of dehydrated noodles in Japan." For scale, a cup of coffee then cost 35 won. Jeon later summed up his whole pivot from finance to noodles in one line that's still quoted:
"When people have enough to eat, the world is at peace. What's needed now is not insurance, but a single meal."
The recipe handed over at an airport
Korea couldn't make instant noodles yet, so Jeon went to Japan, where Momofuku Ando had invented the format in 1958. Nissin turned him down. Its rival, Myojo Foods, let him apprentice for about a month and sold him two noodle machines — but initially withheld the most important part: the soup-base formula.
According to the founder's obituary in Hankook Ilbo, Myojo's president had a last-minute change of heart and secretly handed Jeon the soup recipe at the airport, against his own staff's advice, just before Jeon flew home. (You'll sometimes hear a tidier "they gave it away for free" version — the airport handover is the better-sourced one.)
How a noodle became a national habit
A single product doesn't make a national dish. Policy did the rest. Through the 1960s and 70s, the government ran a flour-promotion campaign — bunsik (분식, "flour food") — pushing wheat over scarce rice, even mandating "no-rice days." It was fueled by US wheat aid, and it turned ramyeon into an everyday food: Samyang's sales went from 2.4 million packets in 1966 to 15 million by 1969.
From there it became woven into ordinary life. The line "Do you want to come in for some ramyeon?" — from the 2001 film One Fine Spring Day — is Korea's version of "Netflix and chill," which tells you how intimate and everyday the food had become.
Korean ramyeon vs. Japanese ramen
People mix these up constantly, so here's the clean distinction:
- Japanese ramen is traditionally a fresh, restaurant dish — a bowl built around a broth (tonkotsu, shoyu, shio, miso). Instant noodles were invented in Japan by Momofuku Ando in 1958, but the ramen tradition is a sit-down meal.
- Korean ramyeon almost always means the packaged instant product itself — flash-fried dried noodles plus a powder sachet — and it's a national dish in that form. It leans spicy, with springy wheat noodles and a beef-and-chili-forward soup.
Both words ultimately trace to Chinese lamian; Korean "ramyeon" arrived via Japanese "ramen."
The unwritten rules of cooking it
Every Korean household has opinions, but the consensus add-ins are egg, scallion, a slice of processed cheese, and — non-negotiably — kimchi on the side. Nongshim's official Shin Ramyun instructions are refreshingly un-fussy: 550 mL of water, cook 4–5 minutes. The home-cook obsessions (pull the noodles a touch early, flip the block, let carryover heat finish it) are folklore layered on top.
And then there's jjapaguri — Chapagetti plus Neoguri — the humble hack that the world met as "ram-don" in Parasite, dressed up with expensive steak. Sixty years after a 10-won packet, the cheapest food in Korea became a symbol on the world's biggest stage.
FAQ
When was Korean ramyeon invented?
Korea's first instant ramyeon, Samyang Ramen, launched on September 15, 1963, priced at 10 won, created by Samyang founder Jeon Jung-yun.
Where did the recipe come from?
The noodle-making equipment and the crucial soup-base recipe came from Japan's Myojo Foods; the founder's obituary describes the soup formula being handed over in secret at an airport before Jeon returned to Korea.
What's the difference between ramyeon and ramen?
Ramyeon usually refers to the Korean instant product (spicy, beef-and-chili soup, springy wheat noodles), while ramen traditionally means a fresh Japanese restaurant dish built around a broth. Both words descend from Chinese lamian.
Sources: Korea Herald, Hankook Ilbo, Korea JoongAng Daily, Fine Dining Lovers.
Image: Hyeon-Jeong Suk, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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