[Alpha Biz= Reporter Kim Jisun] As the Danish government recalls three types of Samyang Foods' Buldak Bokkeum Myeon products, interest in Buldak has surged, becoming a hot topic.
According to Google search trends on the 23rd, global search volume for 'Buldak' reached an all-time high this month. The search volume is twice that of October last year and four times that of March last year.
The peak in Google search volume this month was on the 12th, right after Denmark's recall announcement.
On the 11th, the Danish government ordered the recall of Samyang Foods' Hek Buldak Bokkeum Myeon 3× Spicy, Hek Buldak 2× Spicy, and Buldak Bokkeum Tang Myeon from the local market, citing high capsaicin levels posing a risk of acute toxicity.
The Scoville rating indicating the spiciness of the regular Buldak Bokkeum Myeon is around 4,400, while the 2× Hek Buldak is 8,800, and the 3× Hek Buldak is 12,000.
The 2× Hek Buldak and 3× Hek Buldak are not sold in Korea and are only exported abroad, with the 3× Hek Buldak being exported to about 80 countries.
Following Denmark's recall action, international media such as the BBC, AP, and AFP reported on the matter, bringing Buldak into the spotlight. Reporters from the BBC, The Guardian, and Australia's ABC News even posted videos of themselves tasting Buldak.
On the 19th, the Washington Post highlighted the popularity of Buldak in an article about the recall situation, reporting that "the ban on sales in Denmark is drawing more attention to Buldak."
The newspaper noted that the recall in Denmark has made Buldak so popular that it has made headlines around the world, adding that there are 360 million posts tagged with Buldak-related keywords on TikTok.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
