Overseas sales of Chapagetti double with popularity of the film ‘Parasite’

Chapagetti, a ramyeon brand produced by Nongshim that celebrates its 36th anniversary this year, is gaining wide attention from home and abroad, thanks to the popularity of the movie “Parasite” in which it was featured.

Nongshim announced that its overseas sales surged from 680,000 U.S. dollars to 1.5 million dollars year-on-year in February, setting a new monthly record. Sales were highest in the U.S. at 700,000 dollars, followed by China (220,000 dollars), Australia (190,000 dollars), Japan (100,000 dollars) and Vietnam (70,000 dollars).

The movie features a scene where the characters eat a dish called “Chapaguri,” a mix of the brand’s ramyeon of “Chapaguri” and “Neoguri.” The company uploaded a video on how to cook the dish in 11 different languages on its official YouTube channel. “We saw a growing number of customers asking to sell Chapagetti at local supermarkets across the world,” said an employee at Nongshim. “We have received requests on imports from countries that we had not been exporting to, such as Chile, Bahrain, Palau, Sudan.”

Domestic sales are also soaring. Sales of Chapagetti in South Korea, which recorded 185 billion won last year, are expected to exceed 200 billion won.


eunji@donga.com