South Korea’s exports of food products approached eight-point-five billion U.S. dollars in the first nine months of the year, marking a record high.

According to the Korea Customs Service on Tuesday, cumulative exports rose eight-point-nine percent from the previous year to a record eight-point-48 billion dollars through September.

Food exports have grown for nine consecutive years since 2016. 

The Customs Service expects global interest in K-Food to rise further, boosted by the popularity of K-pop, the Netflix hit “KPop Demon Hunters” and the upcoming 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju.

By category, processed foods, accounting for more than 60 percent of total exports, grew six-point-seven percent from a year earlier to reach five-point-two billion dollars.

Exports of ramen jumped 24-point-five percent from 2024 to one-point-13 billion dollars during the same period.