Cases of putting Korean words as-is in product names exported overseas or foregrounding brands transliterated from Korean pronunciation are rising quickly. The most prominent examples are "Mandu" and "Buldak." Unlike the past, when English or local languages were often applied to packaging for local consumer accessibility, the spread of K culture and content is turning Hangul itself into a marker that proves a product is authentically Korean.
According to the food industry on the 11th, Korean-language packaging and Hangul brand names are being used in overseas markets as key elements that show K-food identity. In the past, exports used packaging written in English or local languages to help consumers understand unfamiliar Korean products, but recently the mood has shifted toward keeping Korean instead.
A representative example is the "Samanco Club Pack" currently sold at Costco in the United States. The Samanco Club Pack bundles Binggrae's flagship fish-shaped ice cream Bungeo Samanco in chocolate, strawberry, and red bean flavors, four each for a total of 12. At the end of last year, at Costco's request, Binggrae added the Hangul "싸만코" to the product package in the same color beneath the English brand name "SAMANCO." This reflects local consumers' perception that Korean must be written for it to be a genuine Korean product. In fact, some overseas distributors are said to prefer packaging that includes Korean, and cases of direct requests—like those from U.S. Costco—are increasing.
U.S. packaging trade media Packaging Strategies also focused coverage on the emphasis on the Hangul logo and Korean elements during the redesign of CJ CheilJedang's Bibigo product packaging. It noted that Bibigo dumpling product packages sold in the United States place the Hangul brand name more prominently than before and strengthen the image of Korean food culture with a circular design inspired by "bapsang."
Recently, overseas food and lifestyle media have also tended to use Korean names as-is for K-food products sold locally rather than translating them. A prime example is Buldak spicy ramyeon. In the early stages of overseas expansion, it was introduced as "Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen," but more recent foreign reports increasingly treat it as the brand name "Buldak." Referring to Korean-style dumplings as "Mandu" rather than "Korean dumpling" follows the same logic.
◇ Korean food companies betting on overseas markets with Hangul marketing
In line with this trend, Korea's food industry is expanding branding strategies that use Korean. Nongshim uses product names such as Shin Ramyun, Neoguri, and Tumba in Hangul as-is in the Japanese market. Its experiential store "Shin Ramyun Bunsik," operating in Harajuku, Tokyo, also displays a Hangul signboard. Samyang Foods is building "Buldak" into a global brand. Dongwon F&B is pushing a plan to strengthen its hot pepper tuna brand—previously translated and sold as "Tuna with Hot Pepper Sauce"—under the brand name "GOCHU TUNA."
CJ CheilJedang uses the term Mandu instead of Dumpling in the global market. Recently, it also applied Hangul to the Bibigo brand logo. Lotte Wellfood wrote "쌀로칩" in Hangul as-is on the front of a rice snack product sold in Pakistan, and inserted Korean phrases such as "for our child" on the package of the infant formula brand "Nubone" sold in Vietnam.
A food industry official said, "In the past, we thought leaving out Hangul and using English or local languages made overseas entry easier, but recently many reactions say Hangul must be included for it to be 'real K-food,'" adding, "Hangul itself has become an element that shows the identity of Korean brands."
However, as Hangul has taken root as a symbol of K-food, problems with counterfeit and imitation products are growing alongside it. In some overseas markets, products that insert Korean phrases or images of the Taegeukgi into packaging are being distributed to make them look like Korean-made products. Product names and package designs are configured similarly so that confused consumers end up buying them.
A representative case is counterfeit versions of Samyang Foods' Buldak spicy ramyeon, which are being sold in overseas markets such as China and Southeast Asia. Recently, fake soju that evokes Hitejinro's Chamisul has reportedly been distributed with Hangul printed on it.
The government also appears to be keeping a close watch. On the 20th of last month (local time), Hong Mun-pyo, president of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), said at a press conference in Manhattan, New York, "There are products being distributed that look Korean-made but are actually produced in other countries. Stopping these counterfeits is what the government should do," noting the need to protect K-food brands through a national certification system.
The industry expects that, as Hangul itself has become an asset symbolizing K-food identity, branding strategies that foreground Hangul will spread further in the global market. A food industry official said, "In the past, Hangul, which local consumers found hard to read, was seen as a weakness, but now it has become a differentiation point," adding, "As K-culture's influence grows, Hangul itself is connecting to brand competitiveness." Seo Yong-gu, a professor in the School of Business at Sookmyung Women's University, said, "Going forward, there will be more moves to manage Hangul logos and typefaces themselves as brand assets and IP (intellectual property)."