Korean Food Is Showing Up Everywhere Right Now

If you've been paying attention to the global food scene lately, you might have noticed something: Korean food is not just trending on social media anymore — it's actively being pitched, tasted, and negotiated on the floors of some of the world's biggest trade expos. And this week, that story is unfolding on three continents simultaneously.

From a sprawling food fair in Bangkok to a government-backed cultural showcase in Los Angeles, and a major export push in São Paulo, South Korea is making a very deliberate, very coordinated push to plant K-food firmly on the world's table. So let's break down what's actually happening.

Nongshim Takes the Spotlight in Bangkok

First up: Thailand. Starting May 26 and running through the 30th, Nongshim — one of South Korea's biggest food conglomerates and the company behind the globally recognizable Shin Ramyun noodles — is running its own solo exhibition booth at Thaifex Anuga 2026 in Bangkok.

Now, Thaifex Anuga is a big deal. It's the largest food and beverage trade fair in Asia, drawing over 3,200 companies from 57 countries and pulling in more than 90,000 visitors annually. Having a solo booth here is a statement. For context, Nongshim's last solo appearance at a global food fair of this scale was at Anuga in Germany — widely considered the world's largest food trade show — just last year. So this is only their second time going it alone on a stage this big.

What are they bringing? The centerpiece is Shin Ramyun, which Nongshim is promoting under the global tagline "Spicy Happiness In Noodles." Beyond the classic Shin Ramyun, the lineup includes Shin Ramyun Toomba — a creamy, rosé-style ramen that's been generating a lot of buzz both at home and abroad — as well as Shin Ramyun Kimchi Bokkeummyeon, a stir-fried kimchi noodle variant.

What's really interesting is the experiential angle they're taking. Rather than just stacking products on a shelf, Nongshim has set up what they're calling a "Shin Ramyun Bunsik Zone" — a tasting corner inspired by the casual Korean street food culture of bunsik joints, those affordable, lively snack shops you find on practically every corner in Korean cities. They've even installed the same kind of instant ramen cookers that became viral sensations through the "Han River ramen" trend — where people in Seoul cook and eat instant noodles right on the banks of the Han River. So visitors can taste freshly cooked Shin Ramyun, not just a packaged product on a shelf.

The booth is strategically placed directly across from the main entrance of Hall 8 — the highest-traffic zone of the entire fair. They've also built in a dedicated buyer consultation space to turn all that foot traffic into actual export deals, alongside displays of their broader lineup including Chapagetti, Neoguri, and Anseongtangmyeon.

"We plan to inform global consumers of the value of Nongshim Shin Ramyun, which delivers spicy happiness, and to further solidify our position as a leading K-food company in the global market." — Nongshim spokesperson

aT's Push in Brazil: Kimchi and Japchae Win Over Latin America

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, South Korea's agriculture trade agency aT — the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation, which is essentially a government body dedicated to promoting Korean food exports — has been making waves at APAS SHOW 2026 in São Paulo, Brazil.

APAS SHOW is the largest food and beverage expo in South America, and this year, Korea showed up with a unified "Korea Pavilion" featuring nine carefully selected export companies. The focus was on products with strong mass-market potential in Latin America: kimchi, japchae (a savory glass noodle dish typically made with vegetables and meat), and meal kits, along with street food-style items that can work well in local retail and food service settings.

The results appear promising. As of April, Korean food exports to Brazil have grown 18.9 percent year-on-year — a significant jump that suggests there's genuine consumer appetite, not just novelty interest. The expo reportedly generated approximately $17 million USD in export consultation deals, which in trade fair terms means potential orders and business discussions that could translate into real shipments down the line.

South America has historically been a harder market to crack for Korean food compared to North America or Southeast Asia, so this kind of momentum in Brazil is particularly noteworthy.

K-EXPO USA 2026: The Big One in Los Angeles

And then there's Los Angeles. The South Korean government — through a joint effort involving the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism alongside the ministries of Agriculture, Oceans and Fisheries, Health and Welfare, and SMEs and Startups — is hosting K-EXPO USA 2026 from May 23 to 27 in LA.

This is not just a food expo. The K-EXPO series, which launched in 2022, is South Korea's flagship government-backed cultural trade initiative — think of it as a traveling all-in-one showcase for Korean culture, food, beauty, content, and technology. Past editions have been held in cities like Toronto and Dubai. But Los Angeles is arguably the most significant venue yet, and the timing is deliberate: the 2026 FIFA World Cup is being co-hosted by North and Central America, meaning global attention is already locked onto the United States.

The LA edition is also notable because the LA City Council officially designated the event as an official city event on May 8 — a sign of just how seriously local authorities are taking K-culture's footprint in the city.

What to Expect at K-EXPO LA

The lineup is genuinely diverse. Here's a taste of what's on the program:

  • Netflix will run an exhibition space showcasing Korean original productions and K-pop artist imagery, plus a rest area featuring food products inspired by Netflix IP
  • The Korea Football Association will operate a dedicated exhibit around the Korean national football team — timely, given the World Cup buzz
  • Naver Webtoon, one of the world's largest digital comics platforms, will present a hybrid exhibit blending food and beauty-themed webtoon content
  • Nongshim gets another showcase here too, with a dedicated food brand zone
  • Jung Saem Mool Beauty, a well-known Korean makeup brand, will run a hands-on makeup experience booth
  • AI-powered K-pop dance challenges and Korean AI content screenings round out the tech-forward programming

On the food side, BBQ — a major Korean fried chicken franchise with growing international presence — will be running food trucks and sampling events. And for culinary star power, Song Hoon, a chef who serves as a judge on the Korean cooking competition "MasterChef Korea" and gained wider recognition through the hit Netflix show "Culinary Class Wars" (known in Korea as "Heukbaek Yorisa"), will be hosting cooking demonstrations. Actor Ryu Soo-young, known as a passionate advocate for Korean cuisine, will also be on hand. Together they'll be spotlighting seaweed-based K-food items like halibut gimbap and halibut tacos — dishes that blend Korean ingredients with formats that resonate with American audiences.

On May 24, the event turns into a full-blown K-pop concert with performances by Jay Park (Park Jae-beom), the Korean-American artist and hip-hop entrepreneur; P1Harmony, a multinational K-pop group; and LNGSHOT, a newly debuted K-pop act. Then on May 26 and 27, the focus shifts to business, with export consultations involving 63 companies from the content and beauty sectors.

The Bigger Picture

So here's the thing — what we're seeing across these three events isn't coincidence. It's a coordinated, multi-front effort by both the South Korean government and its private sector to capitalize on the global appetite for Korean culture while that appetite is at an all-time high.

Whether it's instant noodles in Bangkok, kimchi in São Paulo, or gimbap tacos in Los Angeles, the message is consistent: Korean food is not a niche ethnic offering anymore. It's positioning itself as a mainstream global food category, backed by serious trade infrastructure and cultural soft power. And from the looks of this week's activity, the world seems to be listening.

This article is based on reports from Newscj, Hansbiz, Naver News.