SEOUL, Feb 19 — Samyang Foods Inc, known for its globally popular Buldak spicy ramyeon, said Thursday it plans to register an English trademark for its Buldak brand in response to a surge in counterfeit products overseas, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The company said it will file an application with the Ministry of Intellectual Property later this month to secure the trademark rights to the English name “Buldak,” as the growing circulation of counterfeit products could disrupt exports of its Buldak line and undermine the brand’s value.
“Buldak” in Korean is not currently protected as a trademark in South Korea.
The Intellectual Property High Court of Korea ruled in 2008 that the term had lost its distinctiveness as a trademark after becoming widely used as a common term, allowing broader commercial use.
Copycat versions have emerged in China, South-east Asia, and the United States, and more recently in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Products manufactured in North Korea that imitate Buldak packaging are also reportedly being distributed in China.
Last month, Samyang Foods Vice Chairman Kim Jung-soo said at a national economic growth strategy briefing hosted by President Lee Jae Myung that the company has registered trademarks in 88 countries but is currently involved in trademark disputes in 27 of them.
Imitation Buldak products have proliferated since the early 2020s, when Samyang’s Buldak Bokkeum Myeon — often marketed internationally as fire chicken instant noodles — began gaining rapid popularity.
Since its launch in 2012, cumulative sales of Buldak ramyeon have exceeded 9 billion units, generating more than 5 trillion won (RM13.5 billion) in revenue.
The product gained global attention after its extreme spiciness went viral in a food-eating challenge in 2014.
Samyang Foods’ annual sales exceeded 2 trillion won for the first time since its founding in 2025, driven by strong demand for the Buldak series.
“Once the English name ‘Buldak’ is registered as a trademark in Korea, it will strengthen the company’s ability to respond to trademark infringements overseas,” a company official said. — Bernama-Yonhap
Malay Mail – Money
