Korean instant noodles are enjoying a record export streak, and the cities that make them are cashing in at home.

Ramyeon exports reached $1.41 billion from January through September, up 25.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. That pace puts them on course to surpass last year’s record of $1.52 billion.

That fervor has sparked a string of local festivals, with factory towns teaming up with instant noodle makers Nongshim and Samyang Foods to court locals and foreign visitors alike.

In Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, where Nongshim's plant makes 75 percent of Korea’s domestic Shin Ramyun output, the annual ramyeon festival swelled from 15,000 visitors in 2022 to 400,000 this year.

To mark this year’s event, held from Friday to Sunday, Nongshim released 200,000 packs of limited-edition noodles made with locally grown wheat.

Samyang Foods, the maker of Buldak spicy noodles, has joined spicy-themed festivals in the cities that host its factories.

Miryang, in South Gyeongsang Province, paired Samyang’s products with its own chili peppers and hosted its first spicy food festival late last month, complete with a Buldak speed-eating contest. Some 40,000 people attended over two days, according to the city.

In Wonju, Gangwon Province, Samyang is sponsoring the city’s first K-Spicy Festival this weekend, offering Buldak tastings alongside dishes made with its sauces.

"Now that ramyeon has become a star export, local governments are leveraging the factories in their backyards to build their city brands," one industry official said. "Companies get to connect with residents where they produce, so it’s a win-win."

If festivals showcase the frenzy at home, factories reveal how noodle makers are scaling up to feed the same demand abroad.

Nongshim recently began operating its first export-only plant in Busan’s Noksan industrial complex. The facility can produce 500 million packs a year, lifting the company’s annual export capacity to 1.2 billion units. Its noodles will head to Europe, Japan and Australia, plus fast-growing markets in India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

"The Noksan plant will become the heart of Nongshim’s global business," CEO Jo Yong-chul said. "With our smart factory technology and global products, we will raise our overseas sales share above 60 percent and total revenue to 7.3 trillion won ($5.4 billion) by 2030."

Overseas markets currently make up about 40 percent of Nongshim’s sales.

Samyang, meanwhile, is opening its first overseas plant. The 207.2 billion won facility in Jiaxing, China, begins operating in January.

"From 2027, we can distribute more than 1.1 billion packs a year directly in China without shipping them by sea," a Samyang official said. "Our domestic plants can then support demand in the Americas, Europe and other markets outside China."

China ranks second among Samyang’s overseas markets, which together account for more than 80 percent of sales. In the July-September period, sales at its US unit climbed 36.6 percent to 212.5 billion won while those in China rose 13.2 percent to 208.9 billion won.

Samyang reported that its third-quarter sales jumped 25.3 percent to a record 791.8 billion won. Nongshim, which has yet to release its results, is expected to post a 6.7 percent rise to 929.4 billion won, according to market consensus.

By No Kyung-min (minmin@heraldcorp.com)