Nongshim is embedding its Shin Ramyun brand into New York’s fine-dining and cultural infrastructure through a pair of July collaborations that place the 40-year-old instant noodle in a Michelin-recognized kitchen and a government-backed cultural center on East 32nd Street. The South Korean food company is partnering with Korean restaurant Atoboy on a limited-edition menu item available through the end of July and operating a PC bang-themed pop-up at the Korean Cultural Center New York through August 22, anchoring the noodle brand in spaces that confer culinary credibility and cultural authority rather than relying on paid advertising alone.
Key Takeaways
- Nongshim is collaborating with Atoboy, the sister restaurant of two-Michelin-star Atomix, on a limited-edition “Shin Ramyun Pancake” available through July, marking the 40th anniversary of Shin Ramyun and Atoboy’s 10th anniversary
- A PC bang-themed “Shin Ramyun Bunsik” pop-up is running at the Korean Cultural Center New York at 122 East 32nd Street through August 22 as part of the center’s “It’s Time for K-Culture 2026” summer campaign
- Nongshim will operate a booth at Atoboy’s 10th anniversary celebration on July 28 at Radio Park, serving Shin Ramyun and Shin Ramyun Toomba to chefs and food industry figures
- Overseas markets now account for 1.015 trillion won of the brand’s 1.54 trillion won ($1.1 billion) in annual sales — roughly 66% — and have outpaced domestic revenue every year since 2021
- The collaborations follow Times Square advertising in October, a JFK Terminal 1 store opening in December, and an ABC “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” feature in January
What Is The Shin Ramyun Pancake And Why Does It Matter?
Atoboy, the Korean restaurant that opened in 2016 as the predecessor of two-Michelin-star Atomix, is serving the Shin Ramyun Pancake through the end of July. The dish draws on jeon — Korean savory pancakes — as its template. Boiled Shin Ramyun noodles are pan-fried into a crisp pancake and topped with shrimp and cheddar cheese seasoned with the brand’s soup powder, finished with Atoboy’s aged chili oil. Both the batter and the toppings incorporate the seasoning, making the noodle product the dish’s structural foundation rather than a novelty garnish.
The collaboration carries specific positioning value for Nongshim. Korean food in the United States has historically occupied casual and fast-casual tiers — Korean fried chicken, bibimbap bowls, and convenience-store ramen. Placing Shin Ramyun inside a kitchen associated with Michelin recognition and the North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list reframes the product as a culinary ingredient with fine-dining applications. That distinction matters when the brand’s growth strategy depends on moving beyond the convenience aisle and into the consciousness of consumers who associate instant noodles with dorm rooms rather than restaurant kitchens.
Nongshim will extend the Atoboy partnership on July 28 at the restaurant’s 10th anniversary celebration at Radio Park in New York, where the company will operate a Shin Ramyun Bunsik booth serving samples of Shin Ramyun and Shin Ramyun Toomba to chefs, food critics, and industry professionals. The event puts the brand directly in front of the culinary gatekeepers who influence how Korean food products are perceived across New York’s restaurant ecosystem.
What Does The Korean Cultural Center Pop-Up Look Like?
The second collaboration operates on a different frequency. Nongshim is running a Shin Ramyun Bunsik booth inside the Korean Cultural Center New York at 122 East 32nd Street through August 22 as part of “It’s Time for K-Culture 2026,” the center’s summer programming campaign. The event is co-presented by the Korean Cultural Center New York, the Korea Tourism Organization, and the Korea Creative Content Agency’s New York Business Center, with Nongshim, Smilegate, and Amorepacific as sponsors.
The pop-up recreates a Korean PC bang — the gaming cafes where South Koreans eat instant noodles and packaged snacks while playing video games. The concept introduces New Yorkers to a social ritual that is deeply embedded in Korean leisure culture but largely unknown in the United States. Visitors can play Korean video games including titles from Smilegate, sample Shin Ramyun Cup and Nongshim’s Bbangbujang snack brand, and experience K-beauty products from five Amorepacific brands on a separate floor. On select activation days, Nongshim provides complimentary food sampling while supplies last.
The opening on July 8 drew more than 200 officials from the gaming, tourism, food, and beauty industries, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. City officials from the New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and the NYC Economic Development Corporation attended, along with representatives from New York University’s Game Center, who reportedly discussed potential collaboration opportunities with event organizers.
This marks the second Nongshim partnership with the Korean Cultural Center New York. The 2024 collaboration, titled “Han River in NYC with SHIN RAMYUN,” recreated the atmosphere of Seoul’s Han River Park convenience stores inside the center’s Manhattan building, complete with instant noodle cooking stations and LED-screen simulations of the riverfront. That activation drew long lines and widespread media coverage, establishing a template that the 2026 pop-up builds on.
How Does This Fit Into Nongshim’s Broader New York Strategy?
The Atoboy and Korean Cultural Center collaborations represent a deliberate escalation from Nongshim’s earlier New York marketing efforts. In October 2025, the company ran outdoor advertising and an experience booth in Times Square tied to a Netflix and Sony “KPop Demon Hunters” animated film promotion. In December, Nongshim opened its fourth global Shin Ramyun Bunsik location at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 1, which handles approximately 62 million passengers annually. In January 2026, Shin Ramyun was featured on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in a dedicated segment.
Those earlier campaigns operated through visibility — buying screen time in high-traffic locations and leveraging entertainment tie-ins to generate brand awareness. The 2026 collaborations operate through credibility. Placing the product in a Michelin-associated kitchen and a government-backed cultural institution creates a different kind of brand association than a Times Square billboard can deliver. The restaurant partnership signals that Shin Ramyun belongs in serious cooking. The cultural center partnership signals that it belongs in the broader narrative of Korean culture being exported to American audiences. Neither association can be purchased through conventional advertising budgets.
The strategy also exploits a specific moment in Korean cultural influence in the United States. Korean music, television, and film have built significant American audiences over the past five years, creating a receptive consumer environment for Korean food brands that can anchor themselves in that cultural wave. Nongshim’s institutional partnerships — with a Michelin-recognized restaurant, a government cultural center, and a major airport terminal — are designed to convert that cultural receptiveness into durable brand positioning before the window narrows and competing Korean food brands crowd into the same space.
Why Are Overseas Markets Driving The Brand’s Growth?
The financial case for Nongshim’s New York investment is straightforward. Of the 1.54 trillion won ($1.1 billion) in annual Shin Ramyun brand sales, 1.015 trillion won — roughly 66% — now comes from overseas markets led by North America, China, and Japan. International revenue first surpassed domestic sales in 2021 and has widened its lead each year since.
The domestic side of that equation reflects saturation. South Korea’s per-capita instant noodle consumption is among the highest in the world, and household penetration leaves limited room for organic growth. International expansion — particularly in the United States, where the addressable market is vastly larger and Korean food awareness is accelerating — offers a revenue growth path that does not depend on taking share from entrenched domestic competitors.
The New York market carries influence beyond its own consumer base. Brand positioning established in Manhattan’s dining and cultural scenes shapes perception across secondary North American markets. A restaurant collaboration in New York generates trade press coverage, social media content, and industry word-of-mouth that reaches food buyers, distributors, and consumers in cities Nongshim has not yet directly targeted.
Nongshim’s ability to place its product in a Michelin-associated kitchen and a government cultural center in the same month reveals how Korean food brands are using institutional partnerships to bypass the slow grind of retail trial and shelf-space negotiation — building top-down credibility that can trickle into grocery carts faster than bottom-up sampling campaigns alone.
FAQs
What Is The Shin Ramyun Pancake At Atoboy? The Shin Ramyun Pancake is a limited-edition dish available at Atoboy through the end of July. Inspired by jeon, Korean savory pancakes, the dish features boiled Shin Ramyun noodles pan-fried into a crisp pancake and topped with shrimp and cheddar cheese seasoned with the brand’s soup powder, finished with Atoboy’s aged chili oil. Both the batter and toppings incorporate the noodle seasoning.
Where Is The Korean Cultural Center Pop-Up And When Does It Run? The “Shin Ramyun Bunsik” pop-up is located at the Korean Cultural Center New York at 122 East 32nd Street in Manhattan. The pop-up runs through August 22, 2026, as part of the center’s “It’s Time for K-Culture 2026” summer campaign. Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
What Is A PC Bang And Why Is Nongshim Recreating One In New York? A PC bang is a Korean gaming cafe where people play video games while eating instant noodles and packaged snacks. The social ritual is deeply embedded in Korean leisure culture but largely unfamiliar to American audiences. Nongshim’s pop-up introduces this cultural practice to New Yorkers as a way to contextualize instant noodle consumption as a communal social experience rather than a solitary convenience meal.
How Much Of Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun Revenue Comes From Overseas? Overseas markets account for approximately 66% of annual Shin Ramyun brand sales, totaling 1.015 trillion won of the 1.54 trillion won ($1.1 billion) total. International revenue first surpassed domestic sales in 2021 and has increased its share each year since, with North America, China, and Japan leading the growth.
When Is The Atoboy Anniversary Event? Atoboy’s 10th anniversary celebration takes place on July 28 at Radio Park in New York. Nongshim will operate a Shin Ramyun Bunsik booth at the event, serving Shin Ramyun and Shin Ramyun Toomba to chefs, food critics, and industry attendees.
What Other New York Marketing Has Nongshim Done Recently? Nongshim ran outdoor advertising and an experience booth in Times Square in October 2025, opened its fourth global Shin Ramyun Bunsik store at JFK Terminal 1 in December, and secured a feature on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in January 2026. The Korean Cultural Center collaboration is the second partnership between Nongshim and the center, following a 2024 Han River-themed activation.
