BTS V’s (Kim Taehyung) influence on the K-food wave is making headlines in Korean media.
According to Economist Korea, Taehyung’s participation has potentially caused a bidding war for the main sponsorship of ‘Jinny’s Kitchen.’ Rumors are circulating in the industry that ‘Samyang Foods‘ spent more than 1 billion KRW (~761,000 USD) to become the main sponsor of ‘Jinny’s Kitchen’ in the hope of maximizing the popularity of ‘Samyang Foods’ overseas.
An official from ‘Samyang Foods’ stated:
“We know that we have made a bid to become the main sponsor of Jinny’s Kitchen. Recently, there are many domestic and foreign viewers who watch OTT (online video service), so we decided to participate judging that if we enter as the main sponsor, it can maximize the promotional effect.”
In ‘Jinny’s Kitchen,’ Taehyung has been attracting attention from both domestic and foreign consumers for his love of ramen as a late-night snack after work. He consumes up to four bags in one night.
In particular, the scene where Taehyung eats “Buljajang Ramen,” a combination of Samyang Food’s “Jjajaroni” and “Buldak Stir-Fried Ramen,” and repeatedly exclaims, “It’s really delicious,” has garnered a lot of attention.
“Jinny’s Kitchen” also offers several ramen menus made with Samyang Ramen and Buldak Stir-Fried Ramen. In the show, Taehyung was spotted enjoying one of their spicy ramen dishes.
Maeil Economy also reported that the continued explosive success of “The ramen V ate” both domestically and overseas has led to recipes for “Buljajang Ramen” and “Bulramyeon” being actively shared on social media and various online communities at home and abroad.
The fact that “Jinny’s Kitchen” is filmed in Mexico is also a positive for Samyang Foods. Mexicans are known to be accustomed to the spicy taste and enjoy the spicy dishes being offered. An official from Samyang Foods explained, “Mexicans themselves like spicy food, so the concept of Buldak seems to be working well.“
Samyang Foods is showing a great influence in the overseas market, with overseas sales recording twice as much as domestic sales. Hanwha Investment and Securities recently predicted of Samyang Foods, “Buldak stir-fried ramen is establishing itself as a global steady seller,” and that “export sales will continue to trend upward.”
Hanwha Investment and Securities predicts that Samyang Food’s overseas sales will exceed 70% next year, and its market capitalization is likely to exceed 1 trillion won, largely thanks to the success of “Jinny’s Kitchen.” This will help the company escape from an undervalued phase. As of today, the market capitalization of Samyang Foods is 868.6 billion won.
Taehyung has become a leading figure in the spread of K-culture and K-food across the globe, and his impact has recently been analyzed by culture critic Kim Heon-sik.
‘Jinny’s Kitchen‘ airs every Friday at 8:50 PM KST via tvN and TVING for viewers in South Korea and via Amazon’s global OTT Prime Video for viewers overseas.
Purchase V on ELLE KOREA magazine here.
