✨ How Big Is 10 Billion, Really?
Buldak, the spicy ramyeon brand from Samyang Foods, passed 10 billion packs sold as of the end of May 2026 — fourteen years after Buldak Ramen (Buldak Bokkeum Myeon) launched in 2012. That adds up to roughly 7 trillion won in lifetime sales.
Numbers that big stop meaning much on their own, so here are three other ways to look at it.
• 🔥 Buldak — about 8 billion people live on Earth, and this is a pack for each of them with 2 billion to spare
• 🌀 63 packs a second — including right now, while you read this line
• 🌶️ Samyang — it all started with one dinner in Myeongdong, fourteen years ago
📈 Five Years for the First Billion, Six Months for the Last
What stands out in Buldak’s sales curve is not the total. It is how quickly the last stretch happened.
• 2017 — 1 billion packs (year five)
• 2022 — 4 billion packs
• 2025 — 9 billion packs
• May 2026 — 10 billion packs
Buldak took five years to reach its first billion packs. The last billion took about six months — the same billion packs in roughly a tenth of the time.
🕐 And Right Now, 63 Packs a Second
Buldak sells about 2 billion packs a year in overseas markets alone. Divide that across a year of roughly 31.5 million seconds and you land at about 63 packs every second.
If it took you thirty seconds to read this far, that works out to about 1,900 packs sold while you did. 🍜
Explore the full Buldak lineup 🔍
🌶️ It Started with One Dinner in Myeongdong
Buldak was not built for global markets. The idea came from a dinner in Seoul.
In 2011, Kim Jung-soo — then president of Samyang Foods, now its chairwoman — stopped at a restaurant in Myeongdong and watched a table of young diners work through a plate of fiery buldak chicken.
Sweating, and still going. What if that heat lived inside a pack of ramyeon?
Buldak Ramen launched in 2012 after about a year of development. That one dish is now 10 billion packs.
🌏 From 3 Countries to 100+
Buldak's export list had exactly three names on it in 2012: Japan, Germany, New Zealand. As of 2026 it is more than 100 countries.
Buldak accounts for over 60% of all Korean ramyeon exports — six of every ten packs leaving the country. ✨
🐤 What Comes After 10 Billion: PEPPO
The milestone came with a new face. Meet PEPPO — a red chick with a flame burning above its head, taking over from original mascot HOCHI.
PEPPO is rolling out across packaging, starting with Buldak Sauce and the Original and Carbo lines.
You can also hang out with the character at Peppo World, where card collecting, a drawing studio, GIFs, wallpapers, and the Peppo Messenger game are all free to play. 🎁
🔍 Buldak 10 Billion — FAQ
Q. When is the 10 billion packs figure measured from?
Buldak passed 10 billion cumulative packs as of the end of May 2026, counting domestic and overseas sales since the 2012 launch.
Q. Is that Buldak Ramen alone, or the whole brand?
The 10 billion figure covers the whole Buldak brand — the Original Buldak Ramen plus Carbo, Cheese, and the rest of the lineup.
Q. How is “63 packs a second” calculated?
The figure comes from Buldak’s annual overseas sales of about 2 billion packs, divided across a year of roughly 31.5 million seconds.
Q. How many countries sell Buldak today?
Buldak is sold in more than 100 countries as of 2026, up from three markets at launch in 2012.
Q. Who makes Buldak, and when did it launch?
Buldak is made by Samyang Foods, a South Korean food company. Buldak Ramen launched in 2012.
🔥 On to the Next 10 Billion
Somewhere, water is boiling right now. Want to be one of tonight’s 63? 🌶️
Explore the full Buldak lineup 🔥
