Nongshim
A South Korean multinational food and beverage company best known for instant noodles, snacks, and the Shin Ramyun brand.
Last updated October 13, 2026
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Overview
Nongshim is a South Korean multinational food and beverage company headquartered in Seoul. It is best known internationally for instant noodles, particularly Shin Ramyun, while its wider portfolio includes packaged snacks, potato and rice products, cold noodles, non-fried noodles, bottled water, and other convenience foods. In South Korea, Nongshim is a major force in both the instant-noodle and snack categories and has built a portfolio of more than 40 ramyun brands. The company was established on 18 September 1965 by Shin Choon-ho under the name Lotte Food Industrial Company. Although Shin Choon-ho was the brother of Lotte founder Shin Kyuk-ho, the business operated separately from Lotte. It entered a competitive Korean ramyun market with a research-and-development-oriented strategy, introducing Lotte Ramyun in its founding year and Beef Ramyun in 1970. In 1971 it launched Saeukkang, described by the company’s historical accounts as South Korea’s first commercially produced packaged snack. Nongshim Ramyun followed in 1975. A family dispute led to a corporate renaming in March 1978. The new name, Nongshim, is associated with the idea of a farmer’s heart and positioned the company as an independent Korean food manufacturer. During the 1980s, the company expanded production capacity and invested in specialized manufacturing systems. Products introduced in that decade included Neoguri, Ansungtangmyun, Chapagetti, and Shin Ramyun. The latter became the company’s defining global product and helped Nongshim establish a dominant position in South Korea’s ramyun market. Nongshim’s product strategy has generally emphasized distinctive recipes and individual product identities rather than relying only on a single corporate-brand message. Shin Ramyun is associated with a spicy beef-style broth and a bold flavor profile; Neoguri with seafood flavor and thick noodles; Chapagetti with jjajang-style noodles; and Ansungtangmyun with a familiar Korean soup profile. The company also expanded into cup and bowl formats, snacks, cold noodles, health-oriented products, and bottled water. The company began formalizing its global expansion during the 1990s. It developed manufacturing facilities in China, including Shanghai, Qingdao, Shenyang, and later Yanbian, and opened a production facility in the United States in 2005. Its Korean manufacturing footprint has included facilities in Anyang, Ansung, Asan, Gumi, Busan, and Noksan. Nongshim exports products to more than 100 countries and maintains overseas sales or distribution operations in markets including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, and Vietnam. Nongshim introduced a new corporate identity in 1991 featuring the Nongshim Seed logo, whose form is intended to evoke a seed. In 2003, it moved to a holding-company structure and became a subsidiary of Nongshim Holdings. The wider group has included food, agriculture-related, engineering, information-technology, retail, hotel, property, and foundation affiliates. Shin Choon-ho chaired the company until 2021, when his son Shin Dong-won succeeded him. Nongshim remains an active listed South Korean food company with a domestic mass-market base and an increasingly international convenience-food business.
History
Nongshim began in Seoul on 18 September 1965 as Lotte Food Industrial Company, founded by Shin Choon-ho. The company was distinct from the Lotte business founded by his brother, Shin Kyuk-ho. It entered the Korean ramyun market with Lotte Ramyun and adopted a development-led approach focused on product formulation and manufacturing capability. Beef Ramyun appeared in 1970, followed by Saeukkang in 1971 and Nongshim Ramyun in 1975. These products helped the company build a meaningful share of the Korean market during the 1970s. In March 1978, following a dispute between the brothers, the company changed its name to Nongshim. During the 1980s it invested heavily in machinery, production systems, and specialized factories. The Anseong facility, opened in 1981, focused on soup-powder production. The company then introduced a sequence of enduring ramyun brands: Neoguri in 1982, Ansungtangmyun in 1983, Chapagetti in 1984, and Shin Ramyun in 1986. Cup and bowl formats were also developed during this period. By the middle and end of the decade, Nongshim had become the leading company in the Korean ramyun market. The company expanded its industrial base in the 1990s. A large factory opened in Gumi in 1990, and a new corporate identity centered on the Nongshim Seed was introduced in 1991. The Asan plant, completed in 1993, specialized in potato and rice snacks. In 1994, Nongshim introduced an aseptic production system for cold noodles. The company also began strengthening exports and international operations, while sponsoring the national Baduk championship from 1997. International manufacturing became a major part of the next phase. Nongshim established a Shanghai factory in 1996, Qingdao production in 1998, Shenyang production in 2000, and an additional Qingdao factory in 2002. A United States plant in the Los Angeles area opened in 2005. The Noksan factory, built in 2007, focused on non-fried noodles and products marketed around wellness or health-oriented consumption. A Yanbian facility was added in China in 2015. In 2003, Nongshim adopted a holding-company structure and became a subsidiary of Nongshim Holdings. The broader group developed affiliates spanning agricultural inputs, retail, engineering, data systems, communications, hospitality, property, and charitable activity. Nongshim continued to broaden its product portfolio beyond traditional fried noodles, including new noodle launches such as Zha Wang and Mat Champong in 2015 and the Baeksan Water bottled-water business, which began in 2012. The brand’s modern identity combines Korean market leadership with international familiarity. Shin Ramyun became the principal overseas-facing product, while Saeukkang and other snack brands retained strong domestic recognition. Nongshim’s advertising philosophy has generally emphasized the characteristics and quality of individual products instead of placing corporate advertising above product development. The company remains headquartered in Seoul, operates manufacturing facilities in South Korea, China, and the United States, and exports to more than 100 countries. Leadership passed from founder Shin Choon-ho to Shin Dong-won in 2021.
- 2021
Shin Dong-won became chairman
[1]Shin Dong-won succeeded founder Shin Choon-ho as chairman.
- 2015
Zha Wang and Mat Champong launched
[1]The company added two new noodle brands to its expanding product portfolio.
- 2012
Baeksan Water introduced
[1]Nongshim began producing Baeksan Water, a bottled-water product filtered through volcanic rock associated with Baekdu Mountain.
- 2005
United States factory opened
[1]The company opened a manufacturing facility in the Los Angeles area to support North American operations.
- 2003
Holding-company structure adopted
[1]Nongshim became a subsidiary within the Nongshim Holdings structure.
- 1996
Shanghai manufacturing facility established
[1]Nongshim expanded its Chinese production network with a factory in Shanghai.
- 1991
Nongshim Seed corporate identity introduced
[1]The company unveiled a new visual identity based on a seed-like emblem.
- 1986
Shin Ramyun launched
[1]Shin Ramyun was introduced and later became Nongshim’s signature domestic and international noodle brand.
- 1984
Chapagetti introduced
[1]Chapagetti brought a jjajang-style noodle product into Nongshim’s mainstream portfolio.
- 1983
Ansungtangmyun introduced
[1]Ansungtangmyun expanded the company’s core ramyun range with a familiar Korean soup-style profile.
Products and positioning
Mass-market Korean convenience food combining strong flavor, broad accessibility, product variety, and increasingly global distribution.
Instant noodles · 1986
Shin Ramyun
Nongshim’s signature ramyun brand, launched in 1986. It is associated with a strongly seasoned spicy broth and has become the company’s most recognizable international product. Shin Ramyun is sold in multiple formats, including packets, cups, and bowls, with market-specific packaging and variants.
Instant noodles · 1982
Neoguri
Introduced in 1982, Neoguri is a seafood-flavored noodle brand known for relatively thick noodles and a distinctive broth. It is one of Nongshim’s long-running core ramyun lines and is marketed in both domestic and export markets.
Instant noodles · 1983
Ansungtangmyun
Launched in 1983, Ansungtangmyun is a mainstream Korean ramyun product built around a traditional soup-style flavor profile. It helped strengthen Nongshim’s position across different taste segments rather than concentrating the business on a single spicy noodle style.
Instant noodles · 1984
Chapagetti
Introduced in 1984, Chapagetti is Nongshim’s packaged interpretation of jjajang-style noodles. Its name combines the Korean noodle dish jjajangmyeon with the Italian pasta name spaghetti, and the product became a major part of the company’s non-broth noodle offering.
Packaged snacks · 1971
Saeukkang
Saeukkang is a shrimp-flavored snack launched in 1971. It is among Nongshim’s oldest and best-known snack products and helped establish the company beyond noodles. Its distinctive shape and seafood flavor have made it a durable part of the Korean packaged-snack category.
Bottled water · 2012
Baeksan Water
Baeksan Water is Nongshim’s bottled-water line, introduced in 2012. The product is described as being naturally filtered through volcanic rock associated with the Baekdu Mountain region, giving Nongshim a presence in beverages alongside its established noodle and snack businesses.
Controversies
2012
Nongshim temporarily withdraws products after benzopyrene controversy
South Korean authorities and media examined trace benzopyrene findings associated with some soup-base ingredients. Nongshim recalled or suspended affected products and reformulated relevant ingredients, while the episode generated scrutiny of food-safety controls.
2012
Benzopyrene findings in soup-base ingredients
Nongshim faced a food-safety controversy after trace benzopyrene findings were reported in ingredients used in some soup bases. Authorities and the company investigated the issue, affected products were withdrawn or suspended, and ingredient and testing procedures were reviewed.
Marketing campaigns
- 1997National Baduk Championship sponsorship
South Korea
Nongshim began sponsoring the national Baduk, or Go, championship. The sponsorship connected the company with a major Korean cultural and competitive tradition while supporting corporate visibility beyond individual product advertising.
Outcome. The sponsorship became a long-running association between Nongshim and Korean Baduk.
Brand decisions
2003
Moved into a holding-company structureStrategyBackground
Nongshim had developed multiple domestic and overseas businesses and affiliates.
Action taken
The business reorganized under a holding-company system and became a subsidiary of Nongshim Holdings.
Aftermath
The reorganization provided the structure for a broader group of food, retail, engineering, technology, hospitality, property, and foundation businesses.
1991
Introduced the Nongshim Seed identityStrategyBackground
The company was broadening its product and manufacturing base and preparing for greater export activity.
Action taken
Nongshim introduced a new corporate identity whose logo was designed to resemble a seed.
Aftermath
The seed emblem became the company’s principal visual identifier.
1986
Launched Shin RamyunProduct launchBackground
Nongshim was expanding its product range after introducing Neoguri, Ansungtangmyun, Chapagetti, and cup and bowl formats.
Action taken
The company introduced Shin Ramyun, a strongly seasoned spicy noodle product.
Aftermath
Shin Ramyun became Nongshim’s signature product and a central vehicle for international expansion.
1978
Adopted the Nongshim corporate nameStrategyBackground
The company had operated since 1965 as Lotte Food Industrial Company and was separate from the Lotte business run by the founder’s brother.
Action taken
Following a family and business dispute, the company changed its name to Nongshim and continued as an independent food manufacturer.
Aftermath
The new identity became the foundation for the company’s later Korean market leadership and global brand expansion.
Recent events
- 2025
Nongshim launches its first marketing challenge[3]
Campaign
The company invited university students and recent graduates to develop proposals for Shin Ramyun global strategy or younger-audience communication for Saeukkang.
- 2025
Nongshim appoints a globally experienced operating-company CEO[4]
Leadership change
Reporting described Cho Yong-cheol, a former Samsung executive with international marketing and sales experience, as the new representative director, alongside retirements of long-serving Nongshim executives.
- 2022
Nongshim expands North American manufacturing capacity[5]
Other
The company held a ceremony for its second California plant, supporting North American production and international growth.
- 2021
Nongshim founder Shin Choon-ho dies and leadership passes to the next generation[6]
Leadership change
Founder Shin Choon-ho died in March 2021, and Shin Dong-won became chairman in July, formalizing the transition to the founder’s eldest son.
- 2020
Nongshim benefits from global interest in Korean instant noodles[7]
Campaign · Other
International consumption of Korean instant noodles increased during the pandemic period, with Nongshim's products receiving additional visibility through online retail, entertainment and social-media culture.
- 2019
Nongshim introduces vegan Shin Ramyun products in international markets[8]
Product launch
Nongshim promoted plant-based versions and market-specific variants of Shin Ramyun as demand grew for vegan and vegetarian packaged foods.
- 2005
Nongshim expands overseas manufacturing in the United States[9]
Other
The company opened a production facility in the United States, strengthening local supply for the North American market and supporting its international growth strategy.
- 1986
Nongshim launches Shin Ramyun[1]
Product launch · Product generation
Nongshim introduced Shin Ramyun, a spicy instant-noodle product that became the company's signature domestic and international brand.
Nongshim expands international manufacturing and distribution[9]
Other
The company developed overseas operations, including facilities and subsidiaries serving North America and China, as part of its strategy to make Korean noodles and snacks available in international markets.
Sources11 sources
- 1Nongshimen.wikipedia.org
- 2Nongshim official websitenongshim.com
- 3Nongshim launches its first marketing challengenongshim-marketingchallenge.com
- 4Nongshim appoints a globally experienced operating-company CEOv.daum.net
- 5Nongshim expands North American manufacturing capacitybusinesspost.co.kr
- 6Nongshim founder Shin Choon-ho dies and leadership passes to the next generationbusinesspost.co.kr
- 7Nongshim benefits from global interest in Korean instant noodlesnongshim.com
- 8Nongshim introduces vegan Shin Ramyun products in international marketsnongshimusa.com
- 9Nongshim expands overseas manufacturing in the United Statesnongshim.com
- 10《英雄聯盟》泡麵吃不完！農心集團收購Team Dynamics搶進LCK聯盟化 | 電競 | Newtalk新聞newtalk.tw
- 11Nongshim announces price hike for instant noodleskoreaherald.com
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