Staying home is the new chuseok norm, but Koreans want relatives to mind their own business

Six in 10 South Koreans plan to spend this year's chuseok holiday at home, relaxing, pursuing hobbies or meeting friends, according to a new survey. With the holiday period spanning only four days including the weekend — and no special substitute public holiday added on Sept. 28 — most people appear to have set aside any ambitions for a longer getaway.

Research and data intelligence firm PMI surveyed 1,000 adults aged 20 to 69 nationwide ahead of the chuseok holiday and released the findings Monday.

Asked about their holiday plans — with multiple responses allowed — 59.6 percent of respondents said they would rest at home. Pursuing hobbies came in at 12.5 percent, meeting friends or acquaintances at 10.7 percent, and going to work or handling business matters at 8.4 percent.

Visiting a hometown or family home was cited by 40.0 percent of respondents, while domestic travel — often combined with a hometown visit — was planned by 18.9 percent. Overseas travel, which is harder to combine with other holiday activities, was limited to 6.0 percent.

Compared with last year's survey, the share planning to rest at home rose from 56.0 percent to 59.6 percent, and hometown visits increased from 35.7 percent to 40.0 percent. Domestic travel, however, fell from 24.2 percent to 18.9 percent.

The overall picture that emerges is one of Koreans staying close to home, with hometown visits accounting for much of the remaining activity.

By age group, respondents in their 40s (47.7 percent) and 50s (46.1 percent) were most likely to visit their hometowns, while those in their 60s and older stood out for planning to rest at home (67.5 percent).

Among respondents in their 20s, combined domestic and overseas travel reached 38.1 percent — the highest of any age group. Those in their 20s also reported higher rates of hobby activities (21.4 percent) and social gatherings (17.9 percent) than other age groups, suggesting a preference for staying active rather than simply doing nothing.

Among those planning a hometown visit, the most popular travel date was Thursday — the day before chuseok — chosen by 36.0 percent. Chuseok itself, Friday, was selected by 29.1 percent, followed by Wednesday, the start of the holiday period, at 24.9 percent.

For holiday gifts, cash or gift certificates topped the list at 54.4 percent — up from 49.4 percent last year. Fruit gift sets came second at 23.7 percent, followed closely by meat gift sets (23.4 percent), health supplement gift sets (22.5 percent), traditional food gift sets (11.7 percent), processed food gift sets (10.9 percent), seafood gift sets (8.2 percent), everyday household goods gift sets (8.1 percent) and alcoholic beverage gift sets (7.3 percent).

On holiday gift spending, the most common range was 100,000 to 290,000 won ($72 to $210), cited by 37.2 percent of respondents. Spending of 300,000 to 490,000 won followed at 20.7 percent, then 500,000 to 990,000 won at 19.1 percent, and under 100,000 won at 14.8 percent. In total, 72.7 percent of respondents planned to spend less than 500,000 won, pointing to a trend toward practical, budget-conscious gifting.

When asked whether they were looking forward to the chuseok holiday, 24.9 percent said they were and 5.2 percent said they were very much looking forward to it, for a combined positive response of 30.1 percent. Some 45.9 percent said they felt neutral, while 24.0 percent gave a negative response.

On holiday customs respondents would like to see improved — again with multiple responses allowed — "excessive prying and personal questions from relatives" ranked first at 48.5 percent. It was followed by "overly elaborate ancestral rite preparations" at 40.8 percent, "unequal sharing of holiday labor" at 29.8 percent, "obligatory holiday allowances" at 25.5 percent and "excessive gift-giving" at 23.7 percent. When asked which custom was most urgently in need of reform, relatives' intrusive questions again topped the list at 30.6 percent.

Some 60.0 percent of respondents said they felt prices this chuseok were higher than last year — down from 72.6 percent who said the same in last year's survey, suggesting that the sense of price pressure has eased somewhat.

When asked which social issue was most likely to dominate conversations with family and friends during the holiday, "the economy, prices and livelihoods" came in first by a wide margin at 41.8 percent. It was followed by "politics and national affairs" (18.4 percent), "AI and technology" (7.6 percent), "social and demographic issues" (6.9 percent), "diplomacy, international affairs and security" (6.3 percent), "culture, entertainment and sports" (5.6 percent) and "education" (4.1 percent).