Traditional Market Prices for Seol Charye Items 20.3% Lower Than Large Supermarkets

Traditional Markets Offer Lunar New Year Ancestral Rites Table for Four at 287,606 KRW
Large Supermarkets Cost 360,986 KRW for the Same Preparation

A survey found that preparing the Lunar New Year ancestral rites table using traditional markets is more than 20% cheaper than using large supermarkets.

The Small Enterprise and Market Service conducted a price comparison survey on 27 Lunar New Year ritual items at 37 traditional markets and 37 nearby large supermarkets, and announced the results on the 20th.

In this survey conducted from the 6th to the 13th, the average cost of setting up a Lunar New Year ancestral rites table for four people was 287,606 KRW at traditional markets and 360,986 KRW at large supermarkets. This means traditional markets were about 73,380 KRW (20.3%) cheaper than large supermarkets.

Looking at individual items, vegetables were found to be 46.4% cheaper when purchased at traditional markets compared to large supermarkets. Seafood (34.8%) and meat (25.6%) also showed price advantages at traditional markets over large supermarkets. Out of the 27 items surveyed, Small Enterprise and Market Service explained that traditional markets were cheaper than large supermarkets in 17 items.

Items where traditional markets showed particularly strong price advantages included peeled balloon flower roots (66.7%), bracken (64.1%), frozen pollack fillets (54.3%), jujubes (50.0%), mung bean sprouts (40.4%), and beef for soup (38.8%), in that order.

Among the 27 ritual items surveyed at traditional markets, 11 items saw price increases compared to the previous year, while 16 items saw price decreases. The top three items with price increases were radish (98.1%), ground pork (10.3%), and rice cake slices for soup (9.7%). The bottom three items with price decreases were apples (-27.8%), persimmons (-19.2%), and green onions (-17.0%), showing price drops compared to the previous year.

Park Seong-hyo, director of the Small Enterprise and Market Service, said, “Digital Onnuri gift certificates, which can be used at traditional markets and shopping districts, can be purchased at a 15% discount up to 2 million KRW per month.” He added, “We hope people will use Onnuri gift certificates during the Lunar New Year holiday period to prepare high-quality ritual items at reasonable prices from traditional markets.”

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