Yukgaejang brand bowl noodles are displayed at a large discount store in Seoul on July 24.YONHAP
Cup ramyeon, doughnuts and sliced bread will all cost more in Korea within the next 10 days, as three of the country's biggest food companies are raising prices within three days of one another.
Nongshim, BR Korea, which runs Dunkin' in the country and CJ Foodville's bakery chain Tous les Jours all pointed to the same squeeze: A weak won and expensive oil have driven up what they pay for raw materials, packaging and shipping. The increases will start on July 31 and continue through Aug. 2.
Nongshim will raise the shipping price of 43 brands by an average of 5.8 percent from Aug. 1, the company said Friday. Cup ramyeon makes up 18 of those brands, at an average of 6 percent; snacks account for 23, at 5.5 percent; and two beverage brands go up 7.7 percent.
At retail, a cup of Yukgaejang cup noodles is expected to rise to 1,200 won (81 cents) from 1,100 won, and a 90-gram (3.2-ounce) bag of Saewookkang shrimp crackers will go to 1,600 won from 1,500 won.
Nongshim's last ramyeon price increase was a year and five months ago, in March 2025. Saewookkang, which last went up in September 2022, is effectively rising for the first time in three years and 11 months.
But packet ramyeon was left out entirely. The category accounts for 63 percent of Nongshim's ramyeon sales, and the company said it froze those prices to hold down inflation and ease the burden on shoppers.
Nongshim's Saewookkang shrimp crackers are displayed at a large discount store in Seoul on July 24.NEWS1
“Amid instability abroad, prices for materials such as packaging have surged and the cost burden has intensified,” a Nongshim representative said. “We had absorbed it through internal efficiency measures, but worsening profitability at home and higher delivery prices from our suppliers left us no choice but to adjust.”
BR Korea will raise prices on 39 Dunkin' doughnuts by an average of 6.5 percent from Aug. 2. The Famous Glazed and the Cacao Honey Dip both will climb to 1,900 won from 1,700 won, and the Crème Brûlée Donut to 4,200 won from 4,100 won.
The chain called the increase unavoidable given rising costs across the board, but said that it has also cut prices on some items, including the recently-launched Dubai chocolate-style doughnuts that have dropped in price by 300 to 400 won.
CJ Foodville will raise the recommended retail price of 76 pastries and cakes at Tous les Jours by an average of 8.2 percent from July 31. Daily Milk Bread will increase by 200 won and Ttujumam Egg Toast by 300 won.
Nongshim's Shin Ramyun cup noodles are displayed at a large discount store in Seoul on July 24.NEWS1
CJ Foodville pointed to a broad run-up in international commodity prices, such as eggs, wheat, raw sugar and palm oil, along with higher costs for naphtha-based packaging and added pressure from the weak won and oil prices.
Some of the chain's best-known items were spared. Red bean buns, soboro buns topped with a crumbly streusel and castella sponge cakes will all stay at their current prices, which CJ Foodville said was meant to hold down the inflation shoppers actually feel.
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.
