Jin Ramen vs Shin Ramyun: Which Korean Ramen to Buy — Spice, Price and Taste
Jin Ramen spicy, made up in its cup. Photo by Mobius6, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Ottogi Jin Ramen Spicy, 8-pack — the bag more Koreans say they buy most oftenAffiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, EpicKor earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Last updated: 14 October 2026. Korean prices were read from CU's official product search on 14 October 2026. Scoville figures are the numbers Nongshim and Ottogi gave the Korean daily Asia Economy in July 2024. Sales figures come from Korea's aT food-industry statistics and a 2020 KOBACO consumer survey. Sources are listed at the end.
Jin Ramen vs Shin Ramyun comes down to one question: how much heat do you want? Shin Ramyun (신라면, Nongshim) is the hotter, punchier, more famous bowl — 3,400 SHU. Jin Ramen (진라면, Ottogi) spicy is the softer one at 2,000 SHU, and Jin also comes in a mild grade that is barely spicy at all. Shin has no mild version.
On price there is nothing to choose between them in Korea. At CU in October 2026, a single bag of either costs ₩1,000.
The less obvious part: Shin Ramyun is the bigger seller by money, but in a 2020 national survey more Koreans said Jin Ramen was the bag they bought most often. Shin is the brand Koreans think of first; Jin is the one a lot of them actually put in the basket.
Jin Ramen vs Shin Ramyun: Quick Guide
| Jin Ramen (진라면) | Shin Ramyun (신라면) | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Ottogi (오뚜기) | Nongshim (농심) |
| Launched | March 1988 | October 1986 |
| Heat grades | Three: 순한맛 mild, 약간매운맛 slightly spicy, 매운맛 spicy | One (hotter spin-offs such as Shin Ramyun The Red are separate products) |
| Scoville (maker figures, 2024) | Spicy: 2,000 SHU. Mild: no figure published | 3,400 SHU |
| Bag weight / calories | 120 g / 500 kcal (spicy, per the pack) | 120 g / 500 kcal |
| Sodium per bag | About 1,760 mg (spicy, 2020 pack figure) | 1,790 mg (90% of Korea's daily value) |
| Water to use | 500 ml | 550 ml, 4 min 30 s |
| Taste in one line | Rounder, slightly sweeter beef broth; the heat sits in the background | Sharper chili and garlic up front, mushroom in the flake, a heat that builds |
| Bag price at CU, Oct 2026 | ₩1,000 (all three grades) | ₩1,000 |
| Korean retail sales, 2023 | ₩209.2 billion — 3rd | ₩383.6 billion — 1st |
| "Bought most often" (2020 survey) | 26.4% — 1st | 23.5% — 2nd |
| Easy to find abroad? | Korean grocers, Amazon; spicy far more common than mild | Almost everywhere, including mainstream US supermarkets |
| Pick it if… | You are new to Korean heat, cooking for kids, or want an everyday bowl | You want the classic Korean kick, or you already like spicy food |
If you only remember one line: Shin Ramyun is about 1.7 times as hot as Jin Ramen spicy on the makers' own numbers, costs the same in Korea, and is easier to find overseas. Jin is the one to buy if heat is a worry.
Nongshim Shin Ramyun, 20-pack — the other half of the comparison The topline link above is Jin Ramen spicy; this is the Shin multipack, so you can cook both side by side and settle it on your own stove. A bag of each is the cheapest taste test in Korean food. As an Amazon Associate, EpicKor earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
See Shin Ramyun 20-pack on AmazonWhich Is Spicier: Shin Ramyun or Jin Ramen?
Shin Ramyun. In July 2024 the Korean daily Asia Economy asked the four big Korean ramyun makers for the Scoville figures of their main products. The numbers that came back:
| Product | Maker | Scoville (SHU) |
|---|---|---|
| Yeol Ramen (열라면) | Ottogi | 5,000 |
| Buldak Bokkeum-myeon, original (불닭볶음면) | Samyang | 4,404 |
| Shin Ramyun (신라면) | Nongshim | 3,400 |
| Samyang Ramyun spicy (삼양라면 매운맛) | Samyang | 3,000 |
| Jin Ramen spicy (진라면 매운맛) | Ottogi | 2,000 |
| Jin Ramen mild (진라면 순한맛) | Ottogi | Not listed — effectively not a spicy food |
Two practical readings of that table:
- If Shin Ramyun is at your limit, Jin Ramen spicy is a clear step down, and Jin Ramen mild is not in the same conversation.
- If you like Buldak, neither of these will trouble you. Shin will taste pleasantly hot; Jin spicy will taste mild.
Scoville numbers on instant noodles are the makers' own figures, not independent lab tests, and the same article notes that Shin Ramyun has quietly got hotter over the years as Korean tastes moved towards heat. Treat them as a ranking, not a precise measurement.
Jin Ramen mild vs spicy: one recipe, two chili levels
Open a mild and a spicy bag of Jin Ramen and the noodle block and vegetable flake look almost the same. The soup powder is where they part.
Jin Ramen 순한맛 (mild): the soup powder is a pale, sandy tan. Photo by Mobius6, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Jin Ramen 매운맛 (spicy): same photographer, same setup, and the powder has turned orange-red. Photo by Mobius6, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Mild is the version Korean parents reach for when someone at the table cannot take heat. Spicy is a moderate, friendly heat. Shin Ramyun is the only one of the three that most first-timers will actually call hot.
Taste: Broth, Noodles and Flake
Both are beef-based red soups, so this is not a comparison of two different dishes the way Shin vs Ansungtangmyun (soybean paste) is. The differences are of balance:
- Shin Ramyun leads with chili and garlic. The flake carries dried shiitake mushroom, and the heat builds as you eat rather than arriving all at once. Nongshim describes it simply as a spicy beef-stock ramyun made for Korean tastes in 1986. It uses more water (550 ml) for a slightly lighter, longer soup.
- Jin Ramen spicy is rounder and a touch sweeter, with the beef taste more forward and the chili behind it. It is cooked in 500 ml, so the broth is a little more concentrated for its heat level.
- Noodles. Korean food wiki Namuwiki notes the two ingredient lists are nearly identical and that the noodle is where they feel most different. In practice, Korean eaters usually describe Shin's noodle as the springier, chewier one and Jin's as softer — so if you like a firm bite, pull Jin off the heat a little early.
Both bags are 120 g and 500 kcal, and both carry roughly 1,760–1,790 mg of sodium, about 90% of Korea's daily reference value. Neither is the "lighter" choice — a fact worth knowing if you plan to drink all the soup. Using a little less of the soup packet is the standard Korean fix.
Jin Ramen spicy bag: red with a yellow band, 120 g (500 kcal) printed on the front. Product image: Ottogi.
Price in Korea, October 2026
These are the list prices on CU's official product search, read on 14 October 2026. CU is Korea's largest convenience-store chain, and convenience stores are the most expensive normal place to buy ramyun — supermarkets and multipacks are cheaper per bag.
| Format at CU | Jin Ramen (진라면) | Shin Ramyun (신라면) |
|---|---|---|
| Single bag | ₩1,000 — mild, slightly spicy or spicy | ₩1,000 |
| Small cup (소컵) | ₩1,300 | ₩1,350 |
| Big cup (큰컵 / 큰사발) | ₩1,600 | ₩1,600 |
| Premium line | — | Shin Ramyun Black ₩1,900; Gold, The Red, Toomba bags ₩1,500 |
The Jin Ramen spicy small cup — 65 g, 280 kcal, four minutes in boiling water. Shin's small cup is also 65 g, at 300 kcal. Product image: Ottogi.
Two things stand out. The bag is a dead heat at ₩1,000, so in Korea price is not a reason to choose one over the other. And all three Jin heat grades cost the same, so trying the middle grade costs nothing extra. Convenience stores run frequent 2+1 and 1+1 deals on cups, which change the effective price week to week.
Price History: The 13-Year Freeze and the Recent Hikes
Jin Ramen's reputation in Korea is tied to one pricing decision.
| Date | Jin Ramen (Ottogi) | Shin Ramyun (Nongshim) |
|---|---|---|
| April 2008 | Last price rise before a long freeze | — |
| 1 August 2021 | First rise in 13 years and 4 months: ₩684 → ₩770 (+12.6%) | — |
| 16 August 2021 | — | Average +6.8% across main ramyun; Shin itself +7.6% (factory price) |
| 17 March 2025 | — | Retail ₩950 → ₩1,000 (factory price +5.3%) |
| 1 April 2025 | Supermarket price ₩716 → ₩790 per bag (+10.3%) | — |
| 1 August 2026 | — | Nongshim raised cups and snacks, but left every bag — Shin included — unchanged |
Ottogi held Jin Ramen's price from April 2008 to August 2021 while costs rose around it, and Korean shoppers, impressed by the freeze and by the company's reputation as an employer, gave Ottogi a nickname that is still in use: 갓뚜기 (God + Ottogi). The freeze helped make Jin the cheap, default bag in Korean homes, and it is a common sight as the free self-serve ramyun at Korean budget eateries.
Which One Sells More in Korea?
It depends on what you count, and the gap between the two measures is the interesting part.
By money, Shin wins clearly. Korea's aT food-industry statistics (based on Market Link retail data) put Shin Ramyun first in 2023 retail sales at ₩383.6 billion, with Chapagetti second at ₩213.1 billion and Jin Ramen third at ₩209.2 billion. Nongshim's own first-half 2026 sales map of Seoul still has Shin as its best-selling ramyun in large marts and supermarkets — though that survey counts only Nongshim products, so it says nothing about Jin.
By how often people buy, Jin wins. In a KOBACO (Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation) survey of 1,000 adults aged 20 to 59, run in April 2020:
| Question | Jin Ramen | Shin Ramyun |
|---|---|---|
| Which bagged ramyun comes to mind first? | 22% | 46% |
| Which do you buy most often? | 26.4% | 23.5% |
Shin won the world; Jin won the weekday. Shin Ramyun is sold in more than 100 countries, according to Nongshim, and is the bowl most foreigners picture when they hear "Korean instant noodles". Jin Ramen is the bag Korean households restock without thinking about it.
Nongshim's Shin Ramyun wall at the Korea International Ramyeon Fair, Coex Magok, Seoul, 4 April 2025 — the map is Shin's export reach. Photo: Korea.net / Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Lee Jeong-woo), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Which Should You Buy?
| If you are… | Buy | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Trying Korean ramyun for the first time and like some heat | Shin Ramyun | It is the reference point. Every other comparison starts here |
| Trying it for the first time and nervous about spice | Jin Ramen spicy | 2,000 SHU against Shin's 3,400, same price |
| Cooking for children or someone who cannot take heat | Jin Ramen mild (순한맛) | The standard Korean answer; Shin has no mild version |
| Somewhere in between | Jin Ramen slightly spicy (약간매운맛) | The middle grade, same ₩1,000 at CU |
| A spice fan | Shin Ramyun — or skip both | For real heat, Yeol Ramen (5,000 SHU) or Buldak sit above both |
| Adding egg, cheese, rice cakes or kimchi | Jin Ramen spicy | The rounder broth takes add-ins without going muddy |
| Buying outside Korea on a budget | Shin Ramyun | Wider distribution usually means more multipack deals |
The honest Korean answer, though, is buy one of each. They cost the same, they take the same five minutes, and you will know your own answer after two bowls.
How to Cook Both for a Fair Comparison
Cook them one after the other in the same small pot so the only variable is the bag.
- Shin Ramyun: bring 550 ml of water to the boil, add noodles, soup powder and flake, boil 4 minutes 30 seconds.
- Jin Ramen: bring 500 ml of water to the boil, add noodles, soup and flake, and boil to the time printed on the bag.
- Taste the broth before the noodles — that is where the heat difference shows first.
- Then add an egg to the second bowl and see which one you would actually make again.
Koreans cook ramyun in a thin, gold-coloured aluminium pot (양은냄비, yangeun naembi) because it boils fast and the noodles stay firm.
Yangeun aluminium noodle pot, 16 cm — the one-serving Korean ramyun pot Thin metal means the 500–550 ml of water boils in a couple of minutes, so the noodles do not sit soaking while you wait. It is the pot in almost every Korean drama ramyun scene. As an Amazon Associate, EpicKor earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
See the 16 cm yangeun pot on AmazonThe Third Grade and the Purple Bag
English write-ups describe Jin Ramen as mild or spicy. Korea now has three.
약간매운맛 (slightly spicy) first went on sale as a limited edition in May 2025 (600,000 five-packs), with Coupang selling it first and convenience stores from June, and became a permanent product on 1 September 2025. Ottogi coded its existing grades blue (mild) and red (spicy), and dressed the new one in purple — the two colours mixed. In October 2026 it is on CU's shelves at the same ₩1,000 as the other two.
There was also an earlier purple Jin Ramen: the BT21 Purple Edition of February–April 2023, a collaboration with the BT21 characters that put a purple top on the regular bags (BTS has a member named Jin). So if you see a purple bag, it is either the slightly-spicy grade or a collectible from 2023.
The name itself: 진 (jin) comes from 眞, true or genuine — a quality claim, not a flavour word. 신 (shin) in Shin Ramyun is 辛, spicy, which is why that character sits in red on every Shin bag.
Buying Them Outside Korea
- Shin Ramyun is the easy one. It is sold in more than 100 countries and sits on mainstream supermarket shelves in the US, UK and Australia, not just Korean grocers. Nongshim also makes it in the US.
- Jin Ramen spicy is in most Korean and Asian grocers (H Mart and similar) and on Amazon.
- Jin Ramen mild is the hard one. It reaches overseas shelves far less often than spicy, so if a child or a heat-shy friend is the reason you are reading this, check the bag says 순한맛 or "Mild" before you buy.
- Labels differ by market. Export packs can carry different nutrition panels and sometimes different sodium figures from the Korean domestic product.
Skip If
- You want real heat. Neither is a challenge. Go to Yeol Ramen, Shin Ramyun The Red or Buldak.
- You are watching sodium. At around 1,800 mg a bag, neither is a low-salt meal. Nongshim's non-fried Shin Ramyun Gunmyun is lower in fat, not meaningfully lower in sodium.
- You want a non-spicy broth and you are buying Shin. There is no mild Shin. Buy Jin Ramen mild instead.
- You are buying in Korea and only want one cup. Convenience-store cup deals change weekly; check the 1+1 and 2+1 stickers before choosing on brand.
FAQ: Jin Ramen vs Shin Ramyun
Q: Is Jin Ramen or Shin Ramyun spicier?
A: Shin Ramyun. The makers' own figures, given to Asia Economy in 2024, put Shin at 3,400 SHU and Jin Ramen spicy at 2,000 SHU. Jin Ramen mild is barely spicy at all.
Q: Which is more popular in Korea?
A: Shin Ramyun sells more by value — ₩383.6 billion in 2023 retail sales against Jin Ramen's ₩209.2 billion (aT statistics). But in a 2020 KOBACO survey, more Koreans named Jin Ramen as the bag they buy most often (26.4% vs 23.5%).
Q: Which is cheaper?
A: In Korea they are the same. At CU in October 2026 a single bag of either is ₩1,000. Jin's small cup is ₩50 cheaper than Shin's.
Q: Is Jin Ramen healthier than Shin Ramyun?
A: Not meaningfully. Both bags are 120 g and 500 kcal, and both carry about 1,760–1,790 mg of sodium.
Q: What is the difference between Jin Ramen mild and spicy?
A: The chili level. The noodle and base broth are essentially shared; the spicy soup powder is orange-red, the mild one pale tan. There is also a middle grade, 약간매운맛.
Q: Does Shin Ramyun have a mild version?
A: No. Nongshim's spin-offs (Black, Gold, The Red, Toomba) change the broth or turn the heat up, not down. For a mild Korean ramyun, Jin Ramen mild is the standard pick.
Q: Which should a first-timer buy?
A: If you like some heat, Shin Ramyun — it is the benchmark. If you are unsure, Jin Ramen spicy. Better still, buy one of each; in Korea they cost the same.
Sources
- CU (BGF Retail) official product search, cu.bgfretail.com, searches for 진라면 and 신라면, read 14 October 2026 — all prices in this post.
- Asia Economy (아시아경제), "K-라면 '매운맛' 지도", 28 July 2024 — Scoville figures supplied by the manufacturers.
- Nongshim Shin Ramyun brand site, brand.nongshim.com — 120 g / 500 kcal bag, 65 g / 300 kcal cup, October 1986 launch, sold in 100-plus countries.
- Costco Korea, Nongshim Shin Ramyun 120 g × 30 listing — 1,790 mg sodium (90%).
- Ottogi official pack images — Jin Ramen spicy bag 120 g (500 kcal); spicy cup 65 g (280 kcal).
- Food Today (식품투데이), 4 September 2020 — Jin Ramen spicy sodium, 1,760 mg; Shin Ramyun Gunmyun 1,790 mg.
- The Fact (더팩트), "라면 두 개 끓일 때 물 양은 얼마나?" — 500 ml for Jin Ramen, 550 ml and 4 min 30 s for Shin Ramyun.
- Segye Ilbo (세계일보), 11 February 2024, citing aT 식품산업통계정보 / Market Link — 2023 retail sales by brand.
- Asia Economy, 25 May 2020, reporting KOBACO's bagged-ramyun consumer survey (13–16 April 2020, 1,000 adults) — top-of-mind and most-often-bought shares.
- Asia Economy, 15 July 2021 — Ottogi's first Jin Ramen price rise since April 2008, ₩684 → ₩770 from 1 August 2021.
- Kyunghyang / Smart Today, March 2025 — Shin Ramyun ₩950 → ₩1,000 (17 March 2025); Jin Ramen ₩716 → ₩790 (1 April 2025).
- Financial News (파이낸셜뉴스), 24 July 2026 — Nongshim's August 2026 price rise excluding all bagged ramyun.
- Kyunghyang Shinmun, 29 July 2026 — Nongshim's first-half 2026 Seoul sales map (Nongshim products only).
- Smart Today, May 2025 (Jin Ramen 약간매운맛 limited launch, purple pack), 1 September 2025 (permanent launch) and 20 February 2023 (BT21 Purple Edition).
Related Reading
- Ansungtangmyun vs Shin Ramyun: Which Korean Ramyun to Buy First — the soybean-paste comparison
- Neoguri Ramen Hacks: How Koreans Cook Korea's Seafood Udon Noodle — the thick-noodle seafood one
- Korean Ramyun Guide: Shin, Buldak, Chapaghetti, and More — the wider shelf
- Korean Convenience Store Food Guide: Dosirak and Snacks — what to pair it with
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