Revenue from South Korean instant noodle exports hit an all-time high in 2021, breaking the previous year's record.According to the Korea Customs Service, the country exported almost 608 million U.S. dollars of ramen, or Korean instant noodles, in the first 11 months of 2021, up more than 10 percent from a year earlier.Amongst the international markets importing the noodles, China is the largest, accounting for 22 percent of the overall ramen exports, followed by the U.S. and Japan. Industry watchers say ramen noodles’ popularity are attributed to the pandemic but also to the popularity of South Korean movies and TV series that feature the food.For instance, class-conscious thriller "Parasite" which became the first foreign film to win an Oscar for best picture in 2020, featured a noodle dish called "Ram-Don" that is continuing to make waves both at home and abroad."I love eating Ram-Don instant noodles. The noodles are very chewy, just like the dishes sold at restaurants. When the noodles are well cooked, I fry them with scallion oil and spices," said a Seoul resident.Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is promoting instant noodles as one of the country's representative foods, along with kimchi and nori.South Korea's instant noodle exports more than doubled in the decade from 2011 to 2020. In 2020, its annual exports amounted to 603.57 million U.S. dollars.