'Traditional Market Jujube, Chestnut, Assorted Jeon' Prices Half of Large Mart... Charyesang Cost 50,000 Won Cheaper

Shopping for Chuseok Ancestral Rites Table Myself

Traditional Market Apples and Pears 3,000 Won Each
Assorted Jeon 8,000 Won per 400g
Domestic Greens Three Times More Expensive Than Chinese

Tofu at Mart Cheap with 1+1 Event
Native Chicken Around 15,000 Won Similar Price

It started a few years ago. Whenever a holiday approached, I would have a tug-of-war with my mother over the Charye table setting. My mother insisted on the traditional family method. Even just the first row of the Charye table had as many as ten dishes. I thought it was excessive. I suggested reducing the number of dishes. As the eldest daughter-in-law, it was unlikely that my mother, who had adhered to the traditional method for decades, would easily agree. It was a typical example of the conflict between parent and child generations that occurred every holiday.

Amid rising prices of fruits and vegetables, including apples, due to the monsoon and typhoons, citizens are shopping at Gyeongdong Market in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul on the 28th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

This year, the tug-of-war started again. I received a list of ingredients needed for the Chuseok Charye table from my mother. This was for the direct shopping I started last year. With about ten days left until Chuseok, I only conducted market research targeting traditional markets and large supermarkets this time. I boldly excluded items from the list and went shopping (market research). The Charye table varies from household to household. This shopping was conducted according to my family's method.

Traditional Market, Prices Have Risen but...

On the morning of the 17th, at a traditional market somewhere in Gyeonggi-do. Merchants who had finished preparing early were busy welcoming customers. There was no festive Chuseok atmosphere. Perhaps because it was just about ten days away. The atmosphere was no different from any other weekend. I stopped by a fruit shop at the market entrance. "Chuseok products will probably be available next week. These days, everyone orders Chuseok gifts from large supermarkets, so we are doing business as usual," the shopkeeper said.

I asked the fruit shop about the prices of fresh fruits needed for the Charye table. Both apples and pears were 3,000 won each. The fruit shop owner said, "Apples are expensive this year," adding, "Due to the heatwave, many apples shriveled, so the cultivation volume is not large." Fresh persimmons had not yet come out. The owner said, "It's still too early for fresh persimmons," and advised, "They always come out before Chuseok, so come back around the 26th or 27th." The price was unpredictable.

I visited the store where I have a tug-of-war with my mother every year over whether to discontinue it. The assorted jeon (Korean pancakes) weighing 400g cost about 8,000 won, and yukjeon (meat pancakes) about 10,000 won. The shop owner said, "This year, cooking oil and egg prices doubled, so we raised prices," adding, "We tried to maintain prices, but it was impossible to break even." Seeing the list my mother gave me, asking about prices seemed pointless. Since eggs and flour were included, it seemed she planned to make them herself.

The three-colored namul (seasoned vegetables) on the second row of the Charye table (gosari fernbrake, doraji balloon flower root, spinach) showed a big price difference between domestic and Chinese products. For gosari and doraji, Chinese products were 4,000 won per geun (600g), while domestic ones were 12,000 won?a threefold difference. Since we could not place Chinese products on the ancestral Charye table, we had no choice but to select domestic ones. Only domestic spinach was available at this store, priced at 8,000 won.

At the butcher shop, I asked, "What meat is good for Charye table skewers?" The merchant said, "Usually udun sal (round cut) is used, but I recommend seoldo (chuck flap tail) for a softer texture." The price was 24,600 won per geun (600g). The merchant said, "Last year, it was over 30,000 won, but this year, Korean beef prices have dropped a lot," adding, "Large supermarkets will still charge over 30,000 won." I later found out at the supermarket that this was indeed the case.

On the morning of the 17th, at a large supermarket in a location in Gyeonggi-do, citizens are looking over gift sets ahead of Chuseok. Photo by Seongpil Jo gatozz@

I Expected Large Supermarkets to Be More Expensive

On the same day, I visited a nearby large supermarket, and the atmosphere was quite different from the market. The Chuseok gift sets displayed from the entrance made it clear that Chuseok was approaching quickly. Since the products were mainly Chuseok gifts, some items were hard to find. However, the friendly staff helped save shopping time.

Products showing a big price difference from the traditional market were fresh fruits along with jujubes and chestnuts that decorate the first row of the Charye table. At the traditional market, all were under 5,000 won for domestic products, but at the large supermarket, prices exceeded 10,000 won. The three-colored namul also showed price differences. For 400g, gosari and doraji were around 16,000 won, and spinach about 10,000 won, about 20% more expensive.

Songpyeon (half-moon rice cakes) also had a big price difference. According to a recent announcement by the Seoul Agricultural & Marine Products Corporation, songpyeon prices at large supermarkets were reportedly lower than at traditional markets, but the reality was different. At the supermarket, songpyeon was sold as a processed product at 26,900 won for 1.6kg. Meanwhile, the traditional market price was about 15,000 won per kg. Ordering the 5kg needed for the family Charye table, with some market goodwill, could be purchased for around 55,000 won. Meat was also more expensive at the supermarket, as the butcher said. Korean beef seoldo was over 30,000 won for 500g.

On the other hand, tofu was cheaper than at the traditional market due to a 1+1 promotion. Buying one block of tofu made from domestic soybeans cost 4,990 won, but buying two or more reduced the price to 2,495 won each. Yakgwa (honey cookies) were also cheaper at 4,580 won compared to 5,000 won at the traditional market. Native chickens were priced at 15,500 won each, not much different from 15,000 won at the traditional market. However, some prices were based on membership rates, and non-members had to pay about 20-25% more on average.

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