Around lunchtime at the end of Feb., about a dozen local residents were seated inside a Korean restaurant in Helsinki, eating spicy pork over rice and bibimbap. The spicy aroma of freshly stir-fried pork filled the restaurant, and customers either mixed and ate their bibimbap or took spoonfuls of rice with pork on the side. They continued their meals matter-of-factly, as if it were a menu they had eaten for a long time.
When asked why the person visited the Korean restaurant, the person said, "In Helsinki, Korean food now seems to have become just one of many options."
The dining landscape in Finland is changing. With the success of Korean content overlapping with demand for healthy food, Korean cuisine is seeping into daily menus rather than remaining unfamiliar foreign fare. From the capital, Helsinki, to Rovaniemi, home of Santa Claus, Korean food is being distributed in restaurants and supermarkets.
According to agri-food export information on the 3rd, exports of Korean ramyeon to Finland rose about 155% over 10 years, from $72,436 in 2013 to $184,745 in 2023. Although exports in 2024 fell to $129,550 from the previous year, they still remained more than double the 2013 level. The number of Korean restaurants in Finland, which could be counted on one hand in the early 2000s, has also increased to about 20.
In the past, Japanese and Chinese foods dominated Asian food shelves in Finnish supermarkets, but the atmosphere has changed in recent years. Even in supermarkets in Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland in northern Finland and known as the "home of Santa Claus," Korean food was easy to find. In this snowy city that draws tourists from around the world, Korean ramyeon was displayed on shelves, and at some supermarkets, Samyang Foods' Buldak spicy ramyeon was so popular it sold out.
Anna Elina, met at a supermarket, said, "It's not only Korean food that is particularly popular in Finland," but added, "Korean food is something encountered in everyday life rather than something special."
The person added, "Across Europe, so-called 'challenges' of trying spicy ramyeon have become trendy, raising interest," and noted, "Sipping spicy ramyeon broth in a snow-covered place is a novelty, too."
There were also signs that people were seeking Korean food for health reasons. Aligned with the Nordic consumer tendency to value organic and sustainability, vegetable-heavy bibimbap and fermented foods like kimchi are being embraced as healthy options.
In fact, a study published in 2025 in the international journal Food Quality and Preference by Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, a Finnish food evaluation firm, and Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia found that Finnish consumers gave overall positive (pleasant) evaluations after assessing kimchi made with napa cabbage and turnips. In particular, cabbage kimchi had high preference.
Sofi Maria Korhonen, who said she enjoys eating kimchi, added with a laugh, "I once asked a Korean friend here to make kimchi for me." She continued, "At first, the smell and taste felt unfamiliar, but after trying it a few times, it suited my palate better than I expected," and noted, "It has the deep flavor unique to fermented foods, and it contains a lot of vegetables, so you can eat it without feeling weighed down."