The United States and Australia are locked in fierce back-and-forth competition for the top spot among Korea's milling wheat suppliers. The two countries are major wheat producers, ranking fifth and seventh in the world, respectively, in 2024–2025 wheat output.
For decades, the United States overwhelmingly held No. 1, but over the past 10 years Australia has rapidly expanded exports to Korea, threatening the United States. While U.S. wheat is often used to make bread and cookies with a crispy, firm texture, Australian wheat is said to go mainly into noodles thanks to its chewy texture.
According to tallies by the private group Korea Flour Mills Industrial Association on the 26th, seven major domestic milling companies (CJ CheilJedang, Daehan Flour Mills, SAJODONGAONE, Daeseon Flour Mills, Samyang Corporation, Samhwa Flour Mills, Hantop) sourced 94% of their milling wheat imports in the first half from Australia and the United States. It was found that 51% (597,279 tons) came from Australia and 43% (509,933 tons) from the United States. Last year, 47% (1,151,000 tons) was imported from the United States and 46% (1,112,000 tons) from Australia, but the first-half rankings have flipped to first and second.
Until the 1990s, most of Korea's wheat imports were from the United States. As Korea pursued diversification of import sources and Australia sought new export destinations, their needs aligned and imports from Australia steadily grew. Even so, until around 2013, imports from the United States exceeded 1 million tons, while only several hundred thousand tons were imported from Australia.
The Korea–Australia free trade agreement (FTA), which took effect in 2014, became a decisive catalyst for expanding imports of Australian wheat in Korea. The tariff rate on Australian wheat was 2.5% before the FTA but was gradually reduced and eliminated in 2018. The tariff on U.S. wheat had been removed in 2012. Only after six years did Australia catch up with the United States in price competitiveness. As a result, Australia surpassed the United States to become Korea's No. 1 milling wheat supplier in 2014–2016 and 2021–2023.
◇ Australian wheat is good for making "chewy noodles"... also used in Shin Ramyun and Buldak spicy ramyeon
There is also the aspect that Australia increased imports by improving its wheat varieties to suit Asian tastes. Australian wheat that is widely brought into Korea has a higher protein content than U.S. wheat, and when mixed with water and kneaded, gluten is said to form densely. This makes it well-suited for foods that require a chewy texture. The representative category is noodles. Asians in Korea and Japan prefer a soft yet chewy texture when eating ramyeon, udon, and guksu. Many Westerners feel a sense of unfamiliarity with chewy textures, so wheat varieties that can produce a firm texture have mainly been developed there.
As more people eat noodles instead of rice, imports of Australian wheat are naturally increasing. According to the Food Industry Statistics Information System, the size of the domestic noodle market is estimated to have expanded from the 1 trillion won range in the 1990s to the 3 trillion won range in 2023.
Domestic food companies are said to often mix U.S. and Australian wheat to make noodles. Nongshim Shin Ramyun and Samyang Foods Buldak spicy ramyeon are representative examples. A CJ CheilJedang official said, "The gluten properties of Australian wheat are not strong and are soft, allowing for a chewy texture with moderate elasticity." The official added, "Australian wheat has a low ash content (minerals remaining when wheat is burned), giving it a bright color, so it is well-suited for making noodles, which are mostly white."