Nongshim, Korea's leading instant noodle maker and a Jeonju IFF sponsor since 2024, bankrolled the shorts to mark Shin Ramyun's 40th year on shelves
Ramyun is, for a lot of Koreans, the great equalizer — the 3 a.m. study snack, the broke-week dinner, the ultimate hangover cure, the prop for "Netflix and chill."
So perhaps it was only a matter of time before someone decided it deserved its own spot at a film festival.
That someone is the country's leading instant noodle maker Nongshim, which has put money behind two new shorts premiering at the 27th Jeonju International Film Festival: Oh Se-yeon's "Before It's Too Late" (whose Korean title literally translates to "before the ramyun gets soggy") and Kim Tae-yeop's "When the Ramyun Runs Out."
Both shorts were commissioned to mark the 40th anniversary of Shin Ramyun, the instant noodle classic Nongshim first launched in 1986.
The 2026 edition marks the third year of Nongshim's partnership with Jeonju IFF.
Last year, the two sides rolled out the Nongshim Shinramyun Award, a 5 million won ($3,400) cash prize given to a standout director in the Korean Competition; the inaugural recipient was Divine Sung for her queer coming-of-age feature "Summer's Camera."
Each screening will be followed by a Q&A with the directors and cast. Three sessions are scheduled between May 2 and 5, split between CGV Jeonju Gosa and Megabox Jeonju Gaeksa; tickets are available on the festival website.
Nongshim is also setting up a pop-up on Jeonju's Film Street, where visitors can assemble a custom Shin Ramyun with their own choice of toppings.
The 27th Jeonju International Film Festival runs April 29 through May 8 across venues in Jeonju.
moonkihoon@heraldcorp.com
