South Korea's ‘King of Instant Noodles’ and creator of Shin Ramyun has passed away

Shin Choon-ho, the founder and chairman of popular South Korean food company Nongshim has passed away at 91.

Shin founded Nongshim in 1965 and remained with the company as group chairman starting from 1992. Through his consistent leadership and continuous rollout of leading Korean snacks, he’s since been dubbed South Korea’s “King of instant noodles.”

We might not have known him by name, but the distinct look of Nongshim’s goods is something we can all identify. In particular, the bright red and black packaging of Shin Ramyun, the company’s most popular product to date.

The company has also rolled out a number of iconic Korean products, like Chapaghetti, instant black bean noodles; and Neoguri, spicy udon-like noodles. The 2018 film Parasite also popularized Chapaguri, a mixture of Chapaghetti and Neoguri with steak.

Shin is survived by his wife, and five children. Nongshim will now be helmed by Shin’s son, Dong-won, Nongshim’s current vice-chairman.

Before passing, he also apparently donated over $800,000 to the  Seoul National University Hospital for treating him during his undisclosed sickness.

Per Nongshim, Shin’s parting words to his family was to “love each other.”