K-food surpassed a cumulative export value of $10 billion (about 14.3 trillion won) from January to the end of September this year. K-food will take the stage in force around the 2025 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit, which officially opens on the 31st in Gyeongju.
According to Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) Agrifood Export Information (KATI) on the 28th, the export value of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and food products from January to the end of September this year was $10.11 billion (about 14.5 trillion won). The export value for January–September 2023 was $8.87 billion, and for January–September 2024 it was $9.43 billion.
The rise in export value was led by ramyeon and gim (seaweed). Ramyeon exports came to $1.116 billion (about 1.6 trillion won), up 24.7% from the same period a year earlier. During the same period, gim (seaweed) increased 14.1% to $882 million (about 1.2662 trillion won). Processed foods accounted for 64.6% of all agrifood exports, outpacing raw ingredients. A food industry official said, "Brands like Buldak, Shin Ramyun, and Bibigo have become icons that embody Korea's identity," and noted, "It has become an era when people are enthusiastic about 'K-brands' rather than simply Korean-made."
The K-content boom carried by Netflix, TikTok, Instagram, and other OTT (over-the-top) and social media platforms also served as a key driver boosting global consumption of K-food. As the "K-spicy" and "K-healthy" trends spread, ramyeon and gim are being consumed not just as simple convenience foods but as products that offer K-culture and experiences. In fact, in Europe and the Middle East, ramyeon has established itself as a product to taste Korea's spiciness, while gim is perceived in North America and Southeast Asia as a "healthy snack."
This trend is also playing out on the stage of the 2025 APEC. Of the 66 official sponsors and partner companies of APEC, 29 (43.9%) are related to K-food. CJ CheilJedang will supply Bibigo seaweed snacks, cupbap, and tteokbokki to participant lodgings and the media center, and Nongshim will sponsor 10,000 units of Shin Ramyun in collaboration with the Netflix animation "K-Pop Demon Hunters" and operate a booth.
SPC Group bakery brand Paris Baguette will present desserts that reinterpret traditional Korean ingredients in a modern way as conference refreshments at the Concluding Senior Officials' Meeting (CSOM) and the APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM). Signature items include ▲ dried persimmon pound cake ▲ seoritae (black bean) castella ▲ yakgwa tigre.
Kyochon Chicken operator KYOCHON F&B will serve chicken from a food truck and plans to offer Kyochon Chicken's premium makgeolli "Eunhasu, Starry Night" as the official dinner drink for the APEC Joint Ministerial Meeting. Dong-A Otsuka, selected as the official beverage provider, will sponsor 35,000 units of "THE Masinda" and 5,000 each of Pocari Sweat, Narangd Cider, and Oronamin C. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development Corporation will also provide its no-label product "Jeju Samdasoo Green."
LOTTE GRS will provide 3,000 cups of Angel-in-us Coffee and 3,000 Krispy Kreme donuts from food trucks at the venue. LOTTE Wellfood and LOTTE Chilsung Beverage will supply their flagship products, including Pepero and Chilsung Cider Zero and Isis, respectively.
In addition, KGC will place Jung Kwan Jang products in major hotels in Gyeongju where heads of state from each country are staying, and hy will provide the fermented milk drink "Will" at the 2025 APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting and the Structural Reform Ministers' Meeting.
A food industry official said, "Showcasing K-food brands at a venue where world leaders and major corporations' chief executive officers (CEOs) gather has a big promotional effect," and added, "After the first-generation K-food era that opened with kimchi, bulgogi, and bibimbap, a second-generation K-food era has begun that promotes items like ramyeon and gim as brands."