[Report] "What Exactly Is the Government Doing?" Sighs Over Seol Charyesang Expenses

This Year's Charyesang Prices Hit Record High
Cost of 30 Key Items Recorded at 331,673 Won
Actual Expense Expected to Approach 400,000 Won

Consumers are shopping at a supermarket in downtown Seoul.

"I came here because I heard there was a discount event at the large mart ahead of Seollal, but it's too expensive. I don't know what the government is doing. No matter how hard I look, nothing hasn't gone up in price. I really hope they can control the inflation."

This year, the prices for Seollal ancestral rites table have hit an all-time high, deepening the worries of housewives. Although the government has introduced measures to stabilize prices, it is insufficient to curb the already soaring costs. With the economic recession causing a decrease in household disposable income, the idea of a bountiful holiday has completely disappeared.

On the afternoon of the 15th at Emart Guro branch in Seoul, housewife Lee Jin-hee (58) said, "During this Seollal holiday, many people say they will come home, so I can't avoid cooking," and sighed, "I can't just set up the ancestral rites table roughly, and I estimate it will cost about 400,000 won." At the vegetable and fruit sections, many people were comparing price tags and repeatedly picking up and putting down products. Each seemed hesitant to put items into their carts due to the high prices.

After personally shopping to find out how much it costs to purchase items for the Seollal ancestral rites table, the total cost reached 331,673 won. Since 30 main items were purchased based on a family of four, the actual cost of the rites table is expected to approach 400,000 won when using a large mart. Looking at the items by category, fruits and nuts included apples (1 bag, 5 pieces) at 8,980 won, pears (1 bag, 4 pieces) at 8,980 won, dried persimmons (1 pack, 18 pieces) at 11,800 won, jujubes (500g) at 14,900 won, and chestnuts (320g) at 15,960 won. For greens and vegetables, prices were mung bean sprouts (400g) 2,960 won, bracken (400g) 13,960 won, balloon flower root (400g) 23,920 won, spinach (1 bunch) 3,980 won, radish (1 piece) 1,480 won, napa cabbage (1 head) 2,480 won, green onions (1 bunch) 2,880 won, and zucchini (1 piece) 2,480 won.

Seafood and meat products included croaker fish (3 pieces) at 14,900 won, dried pollack (1 piece) 7,980 won, frozen pollack (900g) 13,980 won, beef brisket (600g) 59,280 won, beef round (600g) 35,279 won, pork front leg (600g) 7,680 won, chicken (1 whole) 9,584 won, and eggs (large, 30 pieces) 6,980 won. Snacks and other items included yakgwa (1 bag) 7,280 won, traditional Korean sweets (1 pack) 6,880 won, rice (2kg) 9,980 won, tofu (3 blocks) 14,100 won, rice cake soup rice cakes (1.4kg) 4,480 won, pancake mix (1kg) 2,900 won, cheongju rice wine (1 bottle) 4,970 won, sikhye sweet rice drink (1.5L) 2,980 won, and cooking oil (1.8L) 7,680 won.

This year, fruit prices fell compared to last year, and prices of dried persimmons and jujubes also dropped due to increased shipments. Among greens, spinach prices decreased as it is in season, but bracken, whose production has been declining annually, saw prices rise for the second consecutive year. Most seafood prices remained stable, but kelp prices increased due to unfavorable growing conditions. Livestock products saw price increases due to rising feed costs caused by international grain price hikes and soaring oil prices. Additionally, processed food prices such as flour and cooking oil rose due to increased raw material costs influenced by the Ukraine war.

Lee Dong-hoon, senior researcher at Korea Price Information, said, "If you look simply at the rate of increase, the rise is not large, but for the second year in a row, the Seollal ancestral rites table prices have recorded an all-time high," adding, "Although accessibility and convenience are somewhat lacking, traditional markets are cheaper than large marts except for some manufactured goods."

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