[Edaily Reporter Han Jeon-jin ] I’ll try just about anything and report back to you. I’m open to both new products and those making a comeback. I avoid simple reviews. I’ll also explain why a product is popular and why it was launched. From gum to steaks at high-end restaurants, I’ll try it all without discrimination. If there’s something to eat, I’ll go anywhere. These are “self-funded” reviews —I pay for everything out of my own pocket. <EDITOR’s Note>

“Hangang Ramen” wasn’t originally a product name. It was a term used to describe the act of putting any bag of instant noodles into a

cooker at a convenience store in Hangang Park and boiling them. Ottogi(007310)recently released a packaged ramen product bearing this name. According to the company, the product features noodles and powdered soup base, along with a larger-sized egg block, and is seasoned with Cheongyang chili peppers. The claim is that it captures the flavor of the location in a single package, so I went to the Han River to see if it really tastes that way.

On a weekend evening, I visited a convenience store in Hangang Park near Seonyudo. Thanks to the cool weather, the store was bustling with couples and groups of friends, and the ramen cookers were running nonstop. I waited 20 to 30 minutes for my turn. I also bought OTOKI’s flagship product, Jin Ramyun Spicy, to use as a comparison. I wanted to line them up side by side to see exactly how Hangang Ramen differs from regular ramen. Both products cost 1,000 won per packet.

The packaging itself exuded the Han River vibe. The blue background features illustrations of Namsan Tower and the Han River Bridge, and the product name is written in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese. However, the blue color reminded me of stocks trading at rock-bottom prices (?), so personally, the design didn’t really appeal to me. I wondered if this is how a Parisian would feel seeing ramen with a picture of the Seine River on the package. On the other hand, it gave the impression of a tourist souvenir that a foreigner might be tempted to pick up at least once.

Upon opening the package, I found only the noodles, powdered soup mix, and a single egg block in a yellow pouch. The ingredients consisted mainly of the powdered soup base mixed with a few pieces of green onion and chili pepper. In contrast, the egg block—reminiscent in size to the one found in Sesame Ramen—had a significant presence. I placed the noodles, soup base, and egg block all at once into the cooker’s dedicated container and pressed the button. After about four minutes, the egg had dissolved and floated to the surface of the broth, while Jin Ramen Spicy was boiling in the cooker next to it.

The most striking aspect was the noodles. Noticeably thinner than Jin Ramen, they absorbed a generous amount of broth when lifted with chopsticks. They also retained a satisfying chewiness, staying firm right to the last bite. It felt as though the unique texture of noodles straight from the cooker had been transferred to the packaged version. If there’s one aspect that lives up to the name “Hangang Ramen,” it’s these noodles.

The broth was different than expected. The spiciness was slightly milder than Jin Ramyun’s spicy variety and didn’t quite reach the sharp, biting heat characteristic of Cheongyang chili peppers. Instead, the sweetness from the egg block came through quite strongly. The sweetness—similar to that of a cup of egg soup—mixed with the spicy broth, but the umami flavor didn’t quite balance it out. The flavor was similar to a 50-50 mix of Jin Ramen Spicy and Sesame Ramen, and this combination seemed likely to be a matter of strong personal preference.

The problem is that this combination falls short on both fronts. Compared to the nutty richness of Sesame Ramen and the richness of the egg,

was weak, and pairing it with spiciness instead of nuttiness made it feel rather unfamiliar. The 110g serving size—10g less than Jin Ramen Spicy (120g)—was also disappointing. For the same 1,000 won, it was hard to find a reason to choose this one. It’s fine to try it once out of curiosity while visiting the Han River and use it as a conversation starter, but I wouldn’t buy it again.

Of course, the situation might look different from the perspective of foreign tourists. Last year, the number of foreign visitors to Korea reached a record high of 18.93 million, and with 12.8 million arriving through July of this year, the annual total is expected to exceed 20 million. The experience of cooking and eating ramen right by the Han River has also become a tourist attraction in its own right. In fact, last July, the Seoul Metropolitan Government operated a tour program for foreign visitors that combined views of the Han River at night with a convenience store ramen experience.

The key to these foreigner-targeted products is continued purchases after they return home. “Han River Ramen” is essentially aimed at being an “edible souvenir” that allows travelers to take their Korean experience home in their luggage. If a visitor takes a few packs home after trying it once on the Han River, it could serve as a gateway to other OTOKI ramen products, such as Jin Ramen or Sesame Ramen. While it might be a ramen that Koreans would only want to try once, the real challenge for this product may be that it doesn’t appeal to Korean tastes in the first place.