How much will Chuseok cost Korean households this year?
Travelers board buses at Seoul Express Bus Terminal, Wednesday, ahead of the Chuseok holiday. Yonhap
Rising expenses partly offset by subsidies and discounts
Chuseok is a time for family reunions and celebration. But for many Koreans, the holiday also brings an unavoidable question: How much will it cost this year?
Expenses can quickly add up, from gifts and food to fuel and highway costs.
Here is a breakdown of how much Korean households can expect to spend during this year's four-day Chuseok long weekend, which runs from Sept. 24 to 27.
Charye table
For many Korean families, food is one of the biggest Chuseok expenses. Holiday meals typically include traditional dishes and seasonal foods for family gatherings and, in many households, ancestral rites known as "charye."
Although more households are choosing not to hold the rite amid shrinking family sizes and changing attitudes among younger generations, preparing food for charye remains a significant expense.
A survey by the Korea National Council of Consumer Organizations showed that the cost of preparing a charye meal for a family of four averaged 313,089 won ($231.54) this year, down 2.3 percent from a year earlier.
Lower prices for fruit, seafood and processed foods helped drive the decline, while livestock product prices edged up as animal disease outbreaks reduced supplies.
Food prices draw particular attention around major holidays, prompting the government to roll out a record 193 billion won in subsidies and discounts on agricultural, livestock and fisheries products ahead of Chuseok. According to the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the overall cost of a charye meal fell for the first time in nine years.
Cash gifts for families
In Korea, family members commonly exchange cash as gifts during major holidays. Financially independent adult children often give money to their parents as a gesture of gratitude and to help with expenses, while parents may give cash to their young children or grandchildren.
According to Kakao Pay's analysis of Chuseok money transfers from 2021 to 2025, the average amount sent to parents last year reached 213,000 won, up 38 percent from 2021. Transfers from parents to children also rose, averaging 114,000 won last year, up 16 percent from 2021.
Travel costs
Travel is another major expense during Chuseok, when millions of Koreans take to the roads to visit family or return to their hometowns. This year, some of that burden will be eased by lower fuel prices and temporary expressway toll exemptions.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said fuel prices will be cut by 100 won per liter at 226 service stations on expressways managed by the Korea Expressway Corp., as part of efforts to ease transportation costs amid high fuel prices.
As of Sept. 17, gasoline averaged 1,844 won per liter at those stations and diesel 1,834 won. The discount will bring them down to 1,744 won and 1,734 won, respectively.
Expressway tolls will also be waived nationwide for four days, including on privately operated expressways. Since 2017, the government has waived 1.05 trillion won in tolls over 14 Lunar New Year and Chuseok holiday periods, covering more than 403 million vehicles.