An employee displays instant noodles at a supermarket and Nongshim Shin Ramyeon is placed in the middle of the shelves in Seoul, South Korea. Nongshim
said it will open a local sales subsidiary in Moscow in June, stepping up its
expansion into Russia about a year after establishing its European unit in the
Netherlands. File. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
April 8 (Asia Today) — South Korean food company Nongshim said Wednesday it will open a sales subsidiary in Moscow in June as it moves to expand in Russia and neighboring markets.
The new unit, Nongshim Rus LLC, will be the company’s latest overseas outpost, a little more than a year after it set up its European subsidiary in the Netherlands in March 2025.
Nongshim said the Moscow office will serve as a base for growth in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, as it seeks to broaden the reach of South Korean instant noodles across Eurasia.
The company said Russia’s instant noodle market is growing rapidly. Citing Euromonitor, it said the market is expected to grow at an annual rate of more than 10% through 2030 and reach about $1.05 billion.
Imports of South Korean instant noodles into Russia rose 58% from a year earlier to $52 million in 2025, the company said, attributing the increase to growing interest in Korean food and culture.
Rather than competing directly in the low- to mid-priced segment, where products typically sell for 70 to 100 rubles, Nongshim said it plans to focus on the premium market with products priced above 200 rubles.
The company said it chose Moscow because it is Russia’s main economic center. From there, Nongshim plans to expand first in western Russia, then into central and far eastern regions through local partnerships.
It also plans to widen its distribution network by increasing sales through major retail chains such as X5 and Magnit and by opening official online brand stores on e-commerce platforms including Ozon and Wildberries.
Products will be supplied from the company’s export-focused Noksan plant in Busan, which is scheduled for completion in the second half of this year. Nongshim said the plant will produce Shin Ramyun as well as other products popular in Russia, including Neoguri and Kimchi Ramyun.
The company said it aims to generate $30 million in sales in Russia by 2030 and develop the local unit into a strategic export hub for Central Asia and other CIS markets.
A company official said Russia is an attractive market linking Europe and Asia, adding that Nongshim plans to use the new subsidiary to expand into nearby countries and meet its long-term sales goal.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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