This article is a case study of one of the most successful multinational corporations in
the global packaged food industry, Nong Shim Co. Ltd. By focusing on its phenomenal
global business expansion starting from the 1990s, this article unravels internal
mechanisms of innovation and knowledge management within the phenomenally
successful instant noodle company. The study specifically focuses on the development
of Shin Ramyeon, the sole product that saved Nong Shim from an imminent
bankruptcy in the 1970s to Korea’s largest instant noodle company by the late 1980s.
Shin Ramyeon is now sold in 70 countries and locally produced in Korea, the United
States and China. The article finds that the success of Shin Ramyeon was possible
due to Nong Shim’s persistent commitment to R&D and its global strategy based
on the famous catch phrase ‘one Korean flavour’ for the entire global market. This
article documents and analyses the process of developing this strategy and putting
it into practice.