Nongshim Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean food and beverage company headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Nongshim was founded in 1965 under the name Lotte Food Industrial Company. The name was changed to Nongshim in 1978. The current logo was published in 1991, which took a form of a seed. In 2003, the business switched to a holding company system and became a subsidiary of Nongshim Holdings. Nongshim is the largest instant noodles and snack company in South Korea. At the end of 2015, Nongshim had 2.57 trillion won in assets and 2.81 trillion won in sales. It runs 11 factories worldwide, has subsidiaries in Korea and overseas, and operates in more than 100 countries. The company is currently chaired by Shin Dong-won, son of the founder Shin Choon-ho. History 1965–1979 On 18 September 1965, Nongshim was established under the name Lotte Food Industrial Company in Seoul, South Korea by Shin Choon-ho, brother of Lotte Corporation founder Shin Kyuk-ho. When Nongshim introduced its first ramyun, Lotte Ramyun, in 1965, there were 7 other companies in the market. As a second mover in the ramyun industry, Nongshim focused on research and development. Along with South Korea's first commercialized snack, Shrimp Cracker (Hangul: 새우깡; Romanization: Saewookang; 1971), Beef Ramyun (Hangul: 소고기라면; 1970), and Nongshim Ramyun (1975), Nongshim achieved 35% market share in the mid-1970s. On 6 March 1978, Nongshim changed its name from Lotte Food Industrial Company to Nongshim Co., Ltd. 1980–1989 During the 1980s, Nongshim invested highly on machinery, equipment, and systems. The Anseong factory was built in 1981 to specialize in powder soup, used to flavor the ramyun. Many of Nongshim's famous ramyun products were introduced during the 1980s: Neoguri (Hangul: 너구리 라면; Seafood Udon Soup; 1982), Ansungtangmyun (Hangul: 안성탕면; 1983), Jjapagetti (Hangul: 짜파게티; 1984) And Shin Ramyun (Hangul: 신라면; 1986). Cup- and bowl-type noodles were also introduced during this period. Nongshim's market share reached 40% in 1984, and became a leading company of the market in March 1985. With Shin Ramyun (1986), the most beloved instant noodle brand in South Korea, Nongshim reached 46.2% of the ramyun market share in 1987, 53.2% in 1988, and 58% in 1989. 1990–present On 1 January 1991, Nongshim introduced its new corporate identity (CI): Nongshim Seed. The Gumi factory was built in September 1991. Since 1994, Nongshim has used computer-integrated manufacturing for production. The Asan factory was built in April 1993, and