Kim Jung-soo led Samyang Foods through a financial crisis in 1998, then ignited a global expansion to turn it into Korea’s hottest food brands.
Buldak noodles are one of the most viral food items of this generation and behind the fire, sweat, and tears of these instant noodles is South Korean businesswoman, Kim Jung-soo.
Born in Seoul, Kim Jung–soo attended Ewha Womans University, graduating with a degree in Social Work. Before beginning her reign as Vice Chair and CEO of Samyang Foods, Kim was a stay-at-home mom, married to Chun In-jang, the company’s former chairman.
Samyang Foods was founded in the 1960s and was the very first brand to launch instant ramen in South Korea. It wasn’t until 1998 when the company faced difficulties after the Asian financial crisis and had Kim step in to help her husband navigate the business.
She kept the company afloat for over a decade and in 2012 she led Samyang’s launch of Buldak Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen. Using inspiration from spicy chicken dishes in Seoul, Kim’s goal was to create a flavorful instant ramen that was also addictingly spicy. These noodles resulted in international trends on YouTube with videos of people attempting the “fire noodle challenge”, putting Buldak on the viral food map.
The trend continued onto TikTok and from 2017 to 2018 Samyang introduced the world to new flavors like Buldak Carbonara and 2x Spicy. While the fire noodle challenge was around since the early 2010s, Buldak saw a massive surge around 2023 to 2025 with sales growing by 20% in the first quarter of 2025, completely selling out shelves at grocery stores.
Unfortunately, Kim’s success did not come without controversy as she and her husband faced embezzling charges in 2020, leading her to be punished with a company suspension, while her husband received prison time. Kim returned to her role at Samyang seven months later after receiving special approval from the Ministry of Justice.
Even with these challenges, Kim has managed to prove her commitment to Samyang’s legacy and is now training her son as the heir to the company. She has demonstrated her strong skills in design and marketing which drove Buldak Spicy Noodles to become a huge part of global food culture.
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