Shin Ramyun took center stage as South Korea’s premier instant noodle maker Nongshim participated exclusively in the ‘2026 Mexico K-Expo’ held at the World Trade Center in Mexico City starting September 24 (local time). The flagship Hallyu event, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency, featured a surprise visit by South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on September 25 during his state visit to Mexico.
Nongshim designed its exhibition booth around the ‘Shinverse’ concept, encapsulating the worldview of the Shin Ramyun brand. The booth featured ‘Han River ramen cookers’ at the front, allowing visitors to taste freshly boiled Shin Ramyun, alongside a ‘stamp tour’ program offering exclusive expo merchandise.
During the event, Nongshim also held business meetings with local distribution channels. As a result, the company partnered with Sam’s Club, a major retailer operating around 170 stores in Mexico, to stock ‘Shin Ramyun Bowl’ and ‘Shin Ramyun Tom Yum Bowl’ within the year and begin sales early next year. Nongshim plans to further expand its product lineup with ‘Shin Ramyun RosΓ©’ and ‘Shin Ramyun Kimchi Stir-Fried Noodles.’
Additionally, Nongshim agreed with major Mexican retail chain Soriana to operate exclusive brand shelves during ‘Buen Fin,’ Mexico’s equivalent to Black Friday, this coming November. The two companies also agreed to introduce Shin Ramyun RosΓ© to stores early next year. A Nongshim representative stated, “We will concentrate our utmost efforts on expanding exports to Central and South America, centered around Mexico, which serves as our geographical gateway to the region.
Cho Yong-chul, CEO of Nongshim, remarked, “Shin Ramyun has firmly established itself not merely as a food item, but as a cultural product representing K-culture. We will foster Shin Ramyun into a national flagship brand, aiming to expand our overseas sales share to over 60% by 2030, achieve 7.3 trillion KRW in sales (approximately $5.5 billion USD), and reach a 10% operating profit margin.”
Kang Bohyun (kang.bohyun@joongang.co.kr)
