Samyang Buldak: the spicy noodles that TikTok made famous

Samyang Foods was founded in 1961 in South Korea. The company produced Korea's first instant noodle in 1963. For decades, Samyang was a leading noodle brand. But the 1989 industrial oil scandal damaged the company's reputation. By the 2000s, Samyang was struggling to compete with Nongshim and Ottogi. The company's market share was declining.

In 2012, Kim Jung-soo, the CEO, developed a new flavor inspired by a spicy chicken dish she had at a restaurant in Seoul. The product was called Buldak Bokkeum Myeon — Fire Chicken Noodles. It was extremely spicy, far beyond anything Samyang had produced before. The product was a risky bet for a struggling company. It was launched as a niche product for spicy food lovers in Korea.

The noodles did not become an instant hit. But then something unexpected happened. People began filming themselves eating the noodles and posting the videos online. The Fire Noodle Challenge went viral on YouTube and TikTok. The challenge spread globally. By 2025, Samyang's revenue had doubled to approximately $1.5 billion. The company opened a fourth factory to meet demand. A product developed as a risky bet for a struggling company had become a global phenomenon through social media.