Is Korean food spicier than Indian food?

Short answer: usually not — but it burns differently. Korean heat comes mostly from gochugaru (red chilli flakes) and gochujang (fermented chilli paste), so it lands sharp and clean. Indian heat layers chilli with whole spices — black pepper, cloves, mustard seed — so it builds slower and lingers longer. This guide benchmarks every OHSUNG spice level against dishes you already know.

The OHSUNG spice scale

Every OHSUNG ramyun pack carries a 1-to-5 level on the front. Here's how each level maps to the Korean and Indian foods most shoppers already cook at home.

Level	OHSUNG product	Korean equivalent	Indian equivalent
LV.1 · Mild	OHSUNG Original Kimchi	Doenjang jjigae · mild kimchi	Dal tadka · paneer butter masala
LV.2 · Medium	Mild ramyun broths	Kimchi jjigae · tteokbokki (mild)	Aloo gobi · chana masala
LV.3 · Hot	OHSUNG Original Chicken · Carbo · Chajang	Buldak (medium) · spicy tteokbokki	Chicken vindaloo (mild) · misal pav
LV.4 · Very Hot	OHSUNG Challenge	Buldak 2x · jjampong (spicy)	Andhra chicken · Kolhapuri mutton
LV.5 · Extreme	OHSUNG Challenge Cup (Extreme)	Buldak 3x · habanero ramyun	Bhut jolokia / ghost-pepper curries

LV.1 · Mild
OHSUNG Original Kimchi
Gentle warmth. Layered umami over heat.
LV.2 · Medium
Mild ramyun broths
Clearly spicy but balanced. A daily-eating level for most Indian palates.
LV.3 · Hot
OHSUNG Original Chicken · Carbo · Chajang
Capsaicin-forward Korean heat. Sharper, cleaner finish than long-simmered Indian curries.
LV.4 · Very Hot
OHSUNG Challenge
Direct chilli burn. Cooling dairy or rice strongly recommended on the side.
LV.5 · Extreme
OHSUNG Challenge Cup (Extreme)
Built for chilli enthusiasts. Try with milk or yogurt, not water.

Which is more spicy — Indian or Korean?

The chilli

Indian cooking uses a wider range of chillies — Kashmiri, byadgi, guntur, bhut jolokia — often dried and bloomed in oil. Korean cooking leans on gochugaru and gochujang, both made from mild-to-medium Korean red chilli. At the very top end (ghost peppers, Andhra cuisine) Indian dishes go hotter than almost any commercial Korean ramyun.

The build

Indian heat layers chilli with whole spices that add warmth without capsaicin — pepper, cloves, mustard, ginger. Korean heat is more single-axis: chilli plus fermented depth. That's why an LV.3 OHSUNG ramyun can taste sharper up front than a richer Indian curry of similar Scoville rating.

Starting points by palate

If you prefer mild

Start with LV.1

OHSUNG Original Kimchi (Pouch or Cup) — gentle kimchi tang, no chilli burn.

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If you eat regular Indian spice

Try LV.3

OHSUNG Original Chicken or Carbo — clean Korean heat, comparable to a mild vindaloo.

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If you love extreme heat

Take the LV.5 Challenge

OHSUNG Challenge — built for chilli enthusiasts. Keep milk close.

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Authentic Korean taste, calibrated for India.

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