Nongshim's Shin Ramyun Toomba sells out in Japan
Launched in April through 7-Eleven, Japan's leading convenience store chain, the cup noodles quickly gained traction, with shortages in some stores.
A Nongshim official stated, 'Shin Ramyun Toomba is receiving strong response for its unique spicy cream flavor and pasta-style noodles, which can be prepared using a microwave.'
Japanese consumers praised the product online, highlighting its rich creaminess balanced with spice, as well as the fun dual preparation method that involves both a microwave and hot water.
With the success of the cup version, Nongshim plans to roll out a packet version of Shin Ramyun Toomba later this year.
The product will be available at specialty import stores such as Aeon's Caferrant and Kaldi starting in the third quarter and will be launched nationwide in the fourth quarter.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Can LG break into AI chips game with hybrid bonder?
Tech giant bets on in-house expertise to take on rivals, but faces uncertain demand and scalability hurdles LG Electronics is eyeing a bold expansion in its semiconductor equipment operations, developing critical machinery for manufacturing the high-bandwidth memory chips that power AI innovation. The South Korean tech giant said it has kicked off development of a hybrid bonder at its in-house R&D unit, the Production Engineering Research Institute. A hybrid bonder is a kind of chip packaging machine, and LG wants to develop one for use in the HBM chips used in AI. The confirmation comes after a recent media report that LG aims to commercialize the equipment by 2028. An LG spokesperson, however, said that while it is currently conducting technical research on hybrid bonders for HBM, the timeline for mass production remains undecided. For LG, semiconductors are a sensitive topic. The company's chip aspirations suffered a devastating blow during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, when government-mandated restructuring stripped away its chipmaking business, LG Semicon, and merged it into Hyundai Electronics, which later became SK hynix. But LG kept the flame alive, holding onto crucial design capabilities and continuing to develop custom chips for its own products. The company has also partnered with Canada-based AI chip design company Tenstorrent to develop AI chips together. Its Production Engineering Research Institute also sells packaging and testing equipment and has conducted research on HBM technologies. This time, LG appears to be seeking a new growth engine by entering the red-hot AI chips sector, in line with LG Group Chair Koo Kwang-mo's AI vision. Observers say that because the hybrid bonder market is still in its early stages, LG could gain an edge if it succeeds in developing it. 'LG is entering the market because there's clear business potential,' said Lee Jong-hwan, a system semiconductor engineering professor at Sangmyung University. 'HBM is expected to see continued growth because it is a critical component in AI chips, which are becoming dominant in the market.' Lee noted that the Production Engineering Research Institute has long handled equipment and systems related to mass production. 'So they have strengths in developing related tools. That's why they are confident in commercializing this technology,' Lee said Why hybrid bonders matter HBM chips — used in AI accelerators like Nvidia's GPUs — are built by stacking multiple DRAM chips vertically, like a high-rise tower, allowing rapid and efficient data transfer. The key to their performance hinges on how precisely and securely these memory chips are bonded together. That's where advanced packaging tools like the hybrid bonder and the widely-used thermocompression bonder, or TC bonder, come in. These machines physically connect the chips to form a single, high-performance memory unit. The hybrid bonder LG is developing promises a significant advancement over conventional TC bonders. TC bonding uses heat and pressure to attach the semiconductor chips, relying on microscopic bumps to connect the stacked dies. In contrast, hybrid bonding eliminates the bumps entirely and enables direct chip-to-chip connections. This allows for thinner chip stacks, improved thermal performance and higher stacking capability, ultimately enabling the high-performance packaging needed for cutting-edge AI chips. Only a few global companies, such as Netherlands-based Besi and US-based Applied Materials, have developed hybrid bonders, and even those have yet to be commercialized for HBM. If LG succeeds, it could carve out a lucrative niche in a fast-growing market. The global hybrid bonding equipment market is expected to grow from $1.5 billion in 2024 to $3.2 billion by 2033, according to market research firm Verified Market Research. 'Hybrid bonding has a clear advantage,' said Lee. 'AI chips require higher data throughput as models become more complex and training workload increases. This leads to significant heat generation, and hybrid bonding offers a structural advantage in managing thermal issues.' 'But mass production capability will be critical, and once those manufacturing challenges are addressed, hybrid bonding will be more favorable for future HBMs.' Heated competition Samsung and SK hynix, the world's two largest memory chip makers, are mulling the use of hybrid bonding in their next-generation HBM products, such as HBM4E. As the number of DRAM layers in HBM increases to 16 or even 20, the use of TC bonding is expected to reach its limits. With the major HBM players eyeing the hybrid bonding technology, the equipment market will hinge on who can mass produce reliable and scalable equipment the fastest. Major equipment makers are entering the fray. Hanmi Semiconductor, the market leader in TC bonders, which supplies HBM leaders SK hynix and Micron, announced Friday that it will invest 100 billion won ($72.67 million) in hybrid bonding technology, with plans to release a hybrid bonder by the end of 2027. The company is constructing a hybrid bonder factory in Incheon, with the goal of completion in the second half of next year. Hanwha Semitech, which also supplies TC bonders to SK Hynix, is also ramping up efforts to develop hybrid bonding equipment. Then there's Applied Materials, which in April became the largest shareholder of Besi, a move expected to accelerate the development of hybrid bonding technology. Semes, the semiconductor equipment subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, is also reportedly developing a hybrid bonder that could be used for Samsung's HBM. "Since B2B equipment production and supply depend on customer demand, actual rollouts will be determined by market response and client needs," said an industry official on condition of anonymity. "Currently SK hynix gets its TC bonder from Hanmi Semiconductor and Hanwha Semitech, while Micron also sources from Hanmi. If Samsung decides to use tools from Semes, the key for LG is to make a marketable product and secure customers." sahn@
Korea Herald
3 hours ago
- Korea Herald
S. Korea, China FMs agree to make upcoming APEC summit 'new turning point' in ties
The top diplomats of South Korea and China agreed Monday to work together to make the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit a "new turning point" in bilateral relations, as they held their first telephone call, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed this view during the 45-minute phone conversation, reaffirming their commitment to advance the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership in a "steady and mature" manner, the ministry said in a release. "They agreed to work together to ensure that the upcoming APEC summit in Gyeongju serves as a new turning point in bilateral ties and to deliver tangible outcomes in practical cooperation that can be felt by the peoples of both countries," it said. They also agreed to maintain the positive momentum in bilateral ties through high-level exchanges. The APEC summit is set to take place in the southeastern South Korean city from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1. Chinese President Xi Jinping is widely expected to attend the multilateral meeting. China is the host for next year's APEC summit. Congratulating Cho on his inauguration, Wang expressed a willingness to maintain a close working relationship with him, according to the ministry. Cho, in turn, said he hopes to closely work with Wang to further develop the Seoul-Beijing ties. Cho took office last Monday. He also extended an invitation for Wang to visit South Korea, and Wang responded that he would visit at a mutually convenient time, according to the ministry. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
3 hours ago
- Korea Herald
FM Cho reaffirms S. Korea's commitment to closer ties in call with Indian counterpart
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun reaffirmed South Korea's commitment to developing bilateral relations with India through high-level exchanges and closer cooperation, as he spoke by phone with his Indian counterpart on Monday, the foreign ministry said. In his first phone talks with India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Cho called for continuing to work together to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in a "mutually beneficial" way, the ministry said in a release. "Minister Cho reaffirmed the South Korean government's strong commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with India. ... He also emphasized the importance of seeking more high-level exchanges between the two countries and continuing efforts to expand mutually beneficial practical cooperation," it said. Jaishankar, in turn, noted their personal rapport from Cho's previous service as the South Korean ambassador to India and expressed hope to elevate the two countries' partnership and expand strategic economic cooperation. Cho served as Seoul's top envoy to New Delhi from 2015-17. The two ministers also agreed on the need to "broaden the scope" of the bilateral strategic cooperation and maintain close diplomatic communication going forward, the ministry said. (Yonhap)
