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North Korea sells its own version of Buldak Ramen in China

Published: 18 Sep. 2025, 21:14 Updated: 19 Sep. 2025, 16:24

Samyang Foods’ popular Buldak Ramen, left, and North Korea’s “Spicy Kimchi Bibim Guksu.” [SAMYANG FOODS, KANG DONG-WAN]

North Korea seems to be upping the flames of its knockoff game, with a near-perfect imitation of one of South Korea’s most popular instant noodles, Samyang Foods' Buldak Ramen, in the Chinese market.

Kang Dong-wan, a professor at Dong-A University, introduced the North Korean-made "Spicy Kimchi Bibim Guksu" on his YouTube channel Tuesday, saying he obtained the product through a contact in China.

The noodles are sold in packs of five, with packaging that strongly resembles Buldak Ramen. The cover features a chicken character breathing fire, strikingly similar to Samyang’s mascot "Hochi." The black background with white and red lettering also mimics the Buldak package design.

The back of the package lists the manufacturer and cooking instructions. It identifies the product as weighing 126 grams (4.44 ounces) and containing 475 kilocalories. The manufacturer is "Rason Ryongseon Joint Venture Company," with the country of origin marked as the "Democratic People’s Republic of Korea" and the production site as "Sonbong District, Rason."

South Korea's Choco Pie manufactured by Orion, right, and North Korea's knockoff [SCREEN CAPTURE]

South Korea's Shrimp Crackers manufactured by Nongshim [JOONGANG ILBO]

North Korea's knockoff of South Korea's Shrimp Crackers manufactured by Nongshim [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The cooking method is nearly identical to that of Buldak Ramen: Boil noodles in 500 milliliters (16.9 ounces) of water for four minutes, drain and mix with seasoning. The instructions also recommend adding kimchi, egg or scallions "to enhance the flavor."

"Despite defining South Korea as an enemy state, North Korea continues to copy Korean products and export them abroad," Kang said. "This highlights the regime’s contradictory behavior, raising questions about design, trademark and copyright violations."