Forget influencer lists. If you want to know what Koreans actually eat and drink, follow the money. This guide ranks Korea’s best-selling snacks, ice creams, drinks, and instant ramyeon using real retail sales data from Korea’s official food industry statistics, so you can shop like a local on your next convenience store or supermarket run.
Quick answer: Korea’s best-selling snack in 2025 was Pepero (₩145.6 billion in retail sales), followed by Saeukkang and Pocachip. The top ice cream in the first half of 2025 was Häagen-Dazs, just ahead of World Cone. The best-selling instant ramyeon is still Shin Ramyun, with 16.4% of the market.
How We Ranked Them
The rankings below come from point-of-sale data collected by Korea’s Food Industry Statistics Information system (FIS, run by the state-owned aT Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation) and reported by major Korean newspapers. It covers sales at convenience stores, supermarkets, and discount stores. We link every source at the end. Where the data has gaps, we tell you.
1. Korea’s Best-Selling Snacks (2025)
| Rank | Snack | Korean name | Maker | 2025 sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pepero (chocolate-dipped sticks) | 빼빼로 | Lotte Wellfood | ₩145.6B |
| 2 | Saeukkang (shrimp crackers) | 새우깡 | Nongshim | ₩126.8B |
| 3 | Pocachip (potato chips) | 포카칩 | Orion | ₩116.7B |
| 4 | Choco Pie | 초코파이 | Orion | ₩92.8B |
| 5 | Homerun Ball (cream-filled puffs) | 홈런볼 | Haitai | ₩84.0B |
| 6 | Kkokkalcorn (corn cones) | 꼬깔콘 | Lotte Wellfood | ₩80.2B |
| 8 | Ghana chocolate | 가나 | Lotte Wellfood | ₩71.6B |
Also in the 2025 top 10: Squid Peanut (오징어땅콩, Orion, ₩67.9B) and Matdongsan (맛동산, Haitai, ₩65.0B). The #7 product wasn’t named in the published report, so we’ve left that spot out rather than guess.
What this tells you
- Pepero is a national habit. It’s Korea’s #1 snack, and sales spike every November 11, Pepero Day, when people gift boxes of it.
- Saeukkang has been around since 1971 and still sells over ₩120 billion a year. Its newer spin-offs, Meoktae-kkang (dried pollock flavor) and Yukpo-kkang (beef jerky flavor, launched June 2026), caused sell-outs.
- Pocachip is Korea’s #1 potato chip, beating every imported brand.
2. Korea’s Best-Selling Ice Creams
Full-year 2025 product rankings haven’t been published yet, so here is the latest available ranking: the first half of 2025.
| Rank | Ice cream | Korean name | Maker | H1 2025 sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Häagen-Dazs | 하겐다즈 | Häagen-Dazs Korea | ₩44.0B |
| 2 | World Cone | 월드콘 | Lotte Wellfood | ₩41.2B |
| 3 | Bungeo Ssamanco (fish-shaped ice cream sandwich) | 붕어싸만코 | Binggrae | ₩36.2B |
| 4 | Together (vanilla tub) | 투게더 | Binggrae | ₩28.1B |
| 5 | Bravo Cone | 브라보콘 | Haitai | ₩26.5B |
| 6 | Melona (melon bar) | 메로나 | Binggrae | ₩22.7B |
| 7 | Gugu Cone | 구구콘 | Lotte Wellfood | ₩21.0B |
Local tip: Melona is famous abroad, but Koreans buy more World Cone and Bungeo Ssamanco. If you only try one “very Korean” ice cream, make it Bungeo Ssamanco: a fish-shaped wafer filled with ice cream and sweet red bean.
3. Korea’s Most Popular Drinks
There’s no single official sales ranking for drinks, so here are the standouts based on company and market data:
- Banana milk (Binggrae 바나나맛우유): the banana milk market was worth ₩271.7B in 2024, and Binggrae held 86.6% of it. The squat jar-shaped bottle is an icon, and it’s one of the top items foreign tourists buy at convenience stores.
- Pocari Sweat (포카리스웨트): ₩229.3B in 2025 sales, about 280 million units, and around 40% of Korea’s ion-drink market.
- Coca-Cola: Korea’s biggest soft drink by revenue, though overall carbonated drink sales dipped in 2025.
- Milkis (밀키스): a creamy, milky soda from Lotte Chilsung that’s hard to find abroad. Worth trying at least once.
4. Korea’s Best-Selling Instant Ramyeon (2025)
| Rank | Ramyeon | Korean name | Maker | 2025 market share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shin Ramyun | 신라면 | Nongshim | 16.4% |
| 2 | Chapagetti (black bean noodles) | 짜파게티 | Nongshim | 8.9% |
| 3 | Jin Ramen | 진라면 | Ottogi | 7.8% |
| 4 | Buldak Bokkeummyeon | 불닭볶음면 | Samyang | 7.4% |
| 5 | Yukgaejang Sabalmyeon (cup) | 육개장사발면 | Nongshim | 5.4% |
The trend to watch: in the first quarter of 2026, Buldak passed Jin Ramen in sales (₩49.7B vs ₩44.8B). Want to know which Buldak to try? See our Buldak spice level ranking and our guide to Korea-only Buldak flavors.
5. The Convenience Store Dessert Everyone Buys
No official cross-chain ranking exists for desserts, but one product stands out: CU’s Yonsei Milk Cream Bread (연세우유 생크림빵). Since launching in January 2022, it passed 100 million units sold in April 2026, about 64,500 a day, making it the fastest convenience store product ever to hit that number. You’ll only find it at CU.
How to Use This List
- Snack haul on a budget: grab the top 5 snacks above at any convenience store or supermarket for a true “what Koreans eat” tasting.
- Supermarkets are cheaper: convenience stores charge more for the same snacks. Stock up at Emart, Homeplus, or Lotte Mart if you’re buying souvenirs.
- Look for limited editions: big brands like Pepero, Choco Pie, and Kkobuk Chip release Korea-only seasonal flavors.
FAQ
What is the most popular snack in Korea?
Pepero, with ₩145.6 billion in retail sales in 2025, according to Korea’s Food Industry Statistics Information system.
What is the most popular ramyeon in Korea?
Shin Ramyun by Nongshim, with 16.4% of the market in 2025. It has been Korea’s #1 ramyeon since 1991.
What drink should I try in Korea?
Binggrae Banana Milk. It’s cheap, sold everywhere, and the classic Korean convenience store drink.
Data: FIS/aT retail POS data as reported in Korean media, 2025 full year unless noted. Last checked: October 2026.
Sources
- Money Today: Korea’s best-selling snacks of 2025 (Korean)
- Herald Economy: Ice cream sales ranking, H1 2025 (Korean)
- Food Today: Ramyeon market share 2025 (Korean)
- Bizwatch: Banana milk market (Korean)
- Bloter: Pocari Sweat 2025 sales (Korean)
- Seoul Shinmun: Yonsei Milk Cream Bread passes 100M (Korean)
