The noodle block is fried before it is dried, which is why 110g of noodles carries 440 calories and 16g of fat. The soup powder is only about 60 calories, but it holds most of the 1,790mg of sodium, which is 90 percent of the daily limit in one bowl. The calories are the noodles. The salt is the soup.
Then there are the extras. An egg is 75 calories, a slice of cheese is 65, half a cup of leftover rice dunked into the broth is 150. A convenience store ramyeon with egg, cheese and rice is 790 calories, which is more than a bowl of jajangmyeon. The pack itself is not the problem. The habit of turning it into a three-course meal is.
Prices are still low, around 1,000 to 1,500 won a pack at a mart and 3,500 to 4,500 won cooked at a bunsik shop. At that price it is an easy late-night default. Two packs in one sitting, which plenty of people do, is 1,000 calories and 3,600mg of sodium before any toppings.