In February 2014, a British YouTuber known as the “Korean Englishman” uploaded a video that would change the fate of an instant noodle company halfway across the world. The video features his friends and family eating a cup of Korean instant noodles against the backdrop of familiar London sights. The noodles, shipped to him by his subscribers, are intensely spicy. The idea is to see if his guests can take the heat.
“It was, ‘She’s actually going to sell this?’” When Buldak went to market in 2012, it seemed like a flop. “The feedback from the retailers and consumers wasn’t very good,” Kim recalled. “It was too spicy.” But the 2014 YouTube video set off a welter of “fire noodle challenges” around the world, launching Buldak into viral fame. In a video that has amassed 145 million views, American competitive eater Matt Stonie ate 15 servings. Sales — especially exports — began to grow.