This Chuseok is Non-Face-to-Face... Giving Up Returning Home Due to COVID-19 Resurgence

Giving Up Visiting Hometown Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Spread
Families with Young Children and Pregnant Women More Cautious...Parents Also Discourage
Gift Exchange Scenes Likely to Change: "Replaced by Online Shopping and e-Coupons"

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] "I really wanted to show my parents my grandchild who just passed the hundred-day milestone, but... it seems difficult this Chuseok."

Ji-hoon Lee (32, pseudonym), an office worker whose hometown is Busan, gave up visiting his hometown for this year's Chuseok, which is just a month away. He made this decision after much deliberation, as the resurgence of COVID-19 seems likely to continue for some time. Lee said, "I gave birth to my first child last May, but because of COVID-19, I haven't been able to show my face to my parents yet," adding, "If many family members gather, it could be dangerous for both the elderly and children, so I ultimately decided not to go home."

As the spread of COVID-19 continues and social distancing measures are becoming stricter, many people are planning to stay home during the Chuseok holiday starting at the end of this month. Especially families with young children or high school seniors preparing for college entrance exams are too worried about COVID-19 to consider traveling. Those with patients or pregnant women in the family are even more cautious.

Conversely, it is also common for parents to discourage their children from visiting their hometowns due to infection concerns. Jae-ho Song (86, pseudonym) earnestly asked his son and daughter-in-law to stay apart this Chuseok. Song said, "I want to see my grandson, but what if he gets infected on the train coming down?" and bitterly added, "I guess I have no choice but to spend this Chuseok alone."

On the last day of the Chuseok holiday, the 15th, returning travelers are getting off the train at the Seoul Station platform. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The annual 'beolcho' (grass-cutting at ancestral graves) before Chuseok also involves gatherings, so many are entrusting the task to external companies or skipping it this year. Such concerns are easily found in online communities like mom cafes. Most posts express hopes that the COVID-19 situation will end soon, as they plan to spend this Chuseok simply.

The 'contactless Chuseok' is also expected to significantly change the gift-giving scene. As family meetings decrease, the volume of gift purchases is expected to drop, prompting the industry to closely monitor the situation. Some plan to buy gifts online and send them to their hometowns or simply convey their feelings with 'e-coupons' instead of meeting face-to-face. According to a survey conducted by Lotte On with 3,000 customers ahead of Chuseok, 50.1% of respondents said they do not plan to travel to other regions during Chuseok. Additionally, 62.5% said they intend to purchase gifts online. Among respondents, 50.1% chose e-coupons as the gift they most want to receive.

Meanwhile, regarding the possibility of travel restrictions during the Chuseok holiday hinted at by the political sphere, the government has stated that it is not considering such measures. However, it plans to enforce stricter mask-wearing on public transportation such as trains and buses and consider ways to reduce crowding. Ticket reservations for Chuseok holiday trains began at 9 a.m. on the 1st. Due to concerns about COVID-19 infection, tickets are being sold 100% online and by phone in advance, unlike in previous years.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.