Ottogi’s Han River ramyeon went on sale at convenience stores across Korea on September 9, 2026.
Contents
- What is Han River ramyeon, and where can you buy it now?
- Why are foreign tourists lining up for noodles by a river?
- Han River Bus docks: how the ramyeon shops actually work
- From Seoul to Tokyo: where Han River ramyeon spread next
What is Han River ramyeon, and where can you buy it now?
Han River ramyeon is the habit of boiling instant noodles at a self-serve cooker by the Han River in Seoul, then eating them with the river in front of you.
Ottogi turned that habit into a packaged product and put it on convenience store shelves nationwide starting September 9, 2026.
The launch was reported the next day in Korean coverage of the new item.
So if you are in Korea now, any convenience store is the first place to look — no trip to the river required.
The exact retail price and the flavor details of the new product were not published in the sources checked for this post, and the pack-versus-cup format is also unconfirmed.
What matters for a visitor is simpler: the thing people queue for by the river is now a shelf item you can pick up in a few minutes.
| Convenience store (from September 9, 2026) | Ottogi’s new Han River ramyeon, sold nationwide |
|---|---|
| Apgujeong and Ttukseom docks | Ottogi’s Happy Nyam Nyam Ramyeon Shop |
| Yeouido and Jamsil docks | Nongshim’s Neoguri’s Ramyeon Shop |
| Mangwon dock | Samyang-themed CU store |
| All 7 docks | CU Ramyeon Library, the only chain with stores at every dock |
Why are foreign tourists lining up for noodles by a river?
K-dramas showed characters boiling ramyeon at outdoor cookers along the Han River, and viewers abroad started adding it to their Korea lists.
One tourist put it directly: the trip was about trying the scene from the drama.
Weekend waits of about 30 minutes at convenience store cookers in the riverside parks are now described as routine by store staff.
For a first-timer the practical picture looks like this: buy a pack at the counter, use the cooker, find a seat outside.
Cheese or kimchi on top is the common customization — it softens the spice and adds flavor, and cheese-topped noodles were the most frequent order at the Tokyo spinoff store.
If a 30-minute line is not part of the plan, the packaged version launched on September 9 exists precisely for that case.
👉 Ottogi’s ‘Han River ramyeon’ bagged noodle: October launch, and how the real Han River ritual works
Han River Bus docks: how the ramyeon shops actually work
Seoul’s Han River Bus connects seven docks — Magok, Mangwon, Yeouido, Apgujeong, Oksu, Ttukseom and Jamsil — with regular service starting in September.
The routine at the docks is the same everywhere: buy ramyeon at the CU on the first floor, cook it yourself on the themed second floor, and eat with the river in view.
CU runs a Ramyeon Library at all seven docks, the only convenience chain to do so, with the Yeouido and Jamsil stores opening May 31 and the rest following in June.
Each dock carries a different brand: Nongshim at Yeouido and Jamsil, Ottogi at Ttukseom and Apgujeong, Samyang at Mangwon.
Ottogi’s Happy Nyam Nyam Ramyeon Shop at Apgujeong and Ttukseom, with giant cup-noodle tables and photo zones, is the brand space behind the new product.
For a visitor, the practical route is simple: ride the bus to a dock, buy noodles downstairs, and cook upstairs on the themed floor.
From Seoul to Tokyo: where Han River ramyeon spread next
Nongshim opened Shin Ramyun Bunsik in Tokyo’s Harajuku in June 2025, recreating the riverside ramyeon setup indoors.
The store draws roughly 10,000 visitors a month, with most menu items at 690 yen, cheese or kimchi toppings for an extra 110 yen, and a ramyeon-plus-gimbap set at 1,190 yen.
Four locations now run the concept: Tokyo, Machu Picchu in Peru, Ho Chi Minh City, and New York’s JFK airport.
The equipment spread too — Korean cooker maker Housecook signed about USD 15 million in export deals across five countries and now ships to more than 30, holding roughly 95% of the domestic cooker market.
That means the riverside ritual is no longer something you can only do in Seoul; Tokyo is the closest replication point for most travelers.
Ottogi’s packaged launch completes the other direction: bringing the experience home without the river.
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Sources
- Launch confirmed 2026-09-09, nationwide convenience-store ro (insight.co.kr)
- K-drama motivation, 30-min weekend queues, Housecook USD 15M (car.withnews.kr)
- Ottogi experiential ramyeon shop at Han River Bus Apgujeong (ceorankingnews.com)
If you want to try it without the 30-minute line
- Buy the packaged Han River ramyeon at any convenience store — it has been on shelves nationwide since September 9, 2026
- For the original riverside version, go on a weekday; weekend cooker lines run about 30 minutes
- Add cheese or kimchi if you want the version most people actually order
- For the brand-shop experience, head to the dock floors at Apgujeong, Ttukseom, Yeouido, Jamsil or Mangwon and cook it yourself on the 2F with a Han River view
FAQ
Q. Is Ottogi’s Han River ramyeon sold at convenience stores everywhere in Korea?
Yes. The launch covered convenience stores nationwide starting September 9, 2026. Whether it also reaches marts or online sellers has not been confirmed.
Q. How is it different from a regular cup of ramyeon?
The product is built around recreating the riverside cooker experience — boiling noodles by the Han River and eating them outdoors, as Ottogi’s own riverside shop locations already let customers do.
Q. Can I still eat ramyeon by the Han River?
Yes. The convenience store cookers in the riverside parks work as before, and the Han River Bus dock shops add themed second-floor spaces with a river view.
If your Korea trip is in autumn, the Han River Bus docks are the fastest way to see the ritual in its original setting — the packaged version covers the rest.
Cover photo: Cup of instant noodles by yoppy from Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan — CC BY 2.0
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