"This Year, We Should Quietly Wrap Up" Year-End Parties Disappear Amid COVID Spread

Year-end Party Scale, Expected Expenses, and Frequency ↓
Health Authorities: "The Principle for This Year-end Is 'No In-person Gatherings'"
Experts: "High Infection Risk During Year-end and New Year... Avoid Gatherings as Much as Possible"

On the evening of the 22nd of last month, Sinchon Yeonsero was empty despite it being weekend dinner time, with only delivery motorcycles busy. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Han Seung-gon and Kim Young-eun] As the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic intensifies across the country, the number of new confirmed cases has remained above 400 to 500 daily for nearly a week, showing no signs of slowing down. Consequently, more citizens are deciding not to attend year-end parties and various year-end gatherings this year.

With the third wave of COVID-19 beginning and social distancing measures being strengthened in the metropolitan area to prevent further spread, a survey conducted on the 25th of last month by job search sites JobKorea and Albamon found that among 2,275 men and women in their 20s and 30s, only 33.3% responded that they have plans for year-end parties this year.

This figure represents a 55 percentage point drop compared to last year's identical survey, where 88.5% said they had plans for year-end parties. Conversely, those who responded that they have no plans for year-end parties increased about threefold from 11.5% last year to 30.2% this year, while 36.5% of all respondents answered that their plans are "not yet decided."

Among respondents who said they have no plans for year-end parties, 7 out of 10 cited "concerns about the spread of COVID-19 and participation in social distancing" (72.2%) as the reason. Additionally, even those who said they would hold year-end parties expressed concerns about COVID-19 spread. When asked what worries them most before the year-end gatherings, 85.3% (multiple responses allowed) answered "COVID-19 infection and spread," followed by "financial burden" (39.2%) and "overeating and weight gain" (35.1%).

As year-end parties decrease this year, the scale of these gatherings is also expected to be simplified. According to JobKorea, the average expected expense for year-end parties among respondents who planned to attend last year was 220,000 won, but this year it was recorded at 170,000 won on average. Furthermore, the average number of year-end party attendances per person dropped from 2.4 times last year to 1.3 times this year.

When asked how they plan to conduct year-end gatherings this year, "quietly" (46.1%, based on response rate) and "gathering with a small number of people simply" (41.5%) each received over 40% of responses, ranking first and second respectively. Following these, "keeping distance without events" (30.9%) ranked third, indicating that the scale of year-end parties is also shrinking.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters (Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency), is holding a regular briefing on the domestic occurrence status of COVID-19 and the interim investigation results of confirmed patients on the afternoon of the 23rd of last month at the Disease Control Headquarters in Cheongju, Chungbuk. Photo by Yonhap News

University student Seong-mo (23) said, "I used to have year-end parties with my high school friends every year around Christmas, but this year we decided to cancel and spend it quietly." He added, "We usually exchanged Christmas gifts together, but this year we decided to send gifts to friends' houses by delivery." He also said, "It's my first time having a non-face-to-face year-end party, but I think this is safer and more meaningful than meeting anxiously."

On the other hand, some plan to hold year-end parties in closed spaces like party rooms, where the risk of infection from outside is relatively low. Office worker Kim (31) said, "If COVID-19 calms down by the end of the year, I plan to have a year-end party," adding, "I was planning to rent a party room and enjoy it only with close acquaintances because of concerns about the spread." He continued, "But the situation is so serious these days that if it continues like this, I am also considering canceling it altogether," and said, "It's very disappointing to think there won't be a year-end spent with precious people, but there's nothing much I can do."

Health authorities also emphasize minimizing year-end gatherings. Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said at a regular briefing on the 30th of last month, "If we fail to overcome the current crisis, all efforts and sacrifices over the past 11 months could be in vain," and urged, "During this year-end when COVID-19 risk has increased, under the principle of 'no face-to-face meetings,' all year-end and New Year's appointments, Christmas and other religious events, and New Year's parties should be conducted non-face-to-face. Anyone experiencing symptoms such as loss of smell or taste after group gatherings should get tested as quickly as possible."

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun also announced a national address on the 20th of last month, stating, "Please refrain from all kinds of gatherings planned for the year-end as much as possible and stay at home except for essential activities."

Experts warn that places where people gather, such as restaurants, carry a high risk of infection and urge restraint in holding year-end parties. Professor Kim Woo-joo, an infectious disease specialist at Korea University Guro Hospital, said, "The spread is rapidly increasing nationwide, including the metropolitan area. It is difficult to perfectly maintain social distancing in any gathering, and once people meet during the year-end and New Year's holidays, they inevitably eat and drink, which increases the risk of infection," emphasizing, "This year, year-end gatherings should be refrained from as much as possible."

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