A pack of instant noodles is being sold on online secondhand trading platforms at prices reaching up to seven times its original retail value.
The product is Nongshim’s Gumi ramen festival noodles, which had a limited run of 200,000 packs during the Gumi Ramen Festival held around Gumi Station from June to 8. With over 400,000 visitors flocking to the event, the high demand for these limited-edition noodles has spilled over into the secondhand market.
According to industry sources on the 13th, the noodlesβproduced using domestic wheat grown in the Gumi region specifically for the festivalβcurrently trade between 10,000 won and 35,000 won per pack on reseller platforms, compared to their original price of 5,000 won for a five-pack (1,000 won per individual serving). Despite these steep markups, listings continue to sell out almost immediately.
Resellers Capitalize on Long Wait Times
Sellers have capitalized on the product’s scarcity by adding reviews to their listings such as, “I waited in the freezing cold for three hours during the open run to get these,” and “I stood in line for two and a half hours to purchase them.”
During the festival on June 6, the waiting line to buy the festival noodles and other Nongshim products stretched nearly 1 kilometer long. Despite the chilly winds, visitors eagerly lined up to buy newly produced Shin Ramyun, Neoguri, and Chapagetti fresh from the Nongshim Gumi plant.
A couple in their 20s shared, “We took the early morning train from Daejeon just to buy the limited-edition Gumi ramen and fresh noodles. Waiting three hours was totally worth it.”
The ‘Ramen Turtle’ Bag Craze
Throughout the festival grounds, visitors carrying transparent backpacks stuffed with instant noodles drew widespread attention. Sold at the ‘God Land’ booth, the transparent bags became a viral sensation on social media, earning the affectionate nickname “Ramen Turtle.”
Shin, an office worker in her 30s who traveled from Seoul, said, “I used my paid leave and came down for a two-day, one-night trip specifically so I could wear this bag.”
Due to growing concerns over speculative reselling throughout the event, the organizing city government eventually restricted purchases to one ramen bag per person on the final day.
According to Nongshim, all 200,000 packs of the limited-edition festival noodles sold out completely, alongside 500,000 freshly produced noodles, bringing total sales to approximately 700,000 units. However, as the massive popularity fueled premium-price reselling, critics have pointed out that some consumers are buying up products purely for resale, depriving genuine fans of the chance to taste the limited-edition item firsthand.
