Chuseok ritual table costs average 309,380 won for family of four

The average cost of purchasing ritual food offerings for Chuseok came to 309,380 won ($223) for a family of four, according to a new survey. While the figure edged down from three weeks ago, prices for key seasonal fruits such as apples and pears surged more than 10 percent, adding to the financial burden on shoppers in the final stretch before the holiday.

The Korea Consumer Agency's Price Monitoring Center released the findings after surveying prices for 24 categories of Chuseok ritual food items at 90 outlets across Seoul's 25 districts — including department stores, hypermarkets, corporate supermarkets, independent supermarkets and traditional markets — on Thursday and Friday.

The cost of purchasing ritual food items one week before Chuseok fell 1.2 percent from three weeks earlier, when the figure stood at 313,201 won. Of the 24 items surveyed, prices fell for 15, rose for seven and remained unchanged for one — flour.

Yellow croaker posted the steepest increase, rising 19.6 percent. Apples climbed 11.8 percent, from an average of 16,879 won for five to 18,876 won, while pears rose 11.1 percent, from 10,640 won for three to 11,821 won. At hypermarkets specifically, apple and pear prices jumped 21.9 percent and 23.4 percent, respectively.

Pork belly for boiling and ground pork from the hind leg also rose 5.0 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively. At hypermarkets, those increases were steeper — 12.6 percent and 14.1 percent — outpacing other retail channels.

Jujubes fell the most, dropping 14.9 percent from 7,131 won to 6,067 won per 400 grams. Beef for skewers fell 9.2 percent, dried persimmons 9.1 percent and eggs 3.6 percent. Beef for skewers dropped 22.7 percent at hypermarkets, driven by Korean beef discount promotions, while government efforts to expand supply and release stockpiles also appeared to weigh on prices.

Compared with last year, overall costs edged up. The total calculated using only items comparable to last year's survey came to 324,481 won for the week before this year's Chuseok, up 0.5 percent from 323,016 won at the same point last year. Of the 24 comparable items, 14 rose in price and 10 fell.

By category, seafood prices rose the most, climbing 16.6 percent from a year earlier. Fruit prices, however, fell 5.1 percent year-on-year — pears dropped 14.4 percent, dried persimmons 10.0 percent and jujubes 20 percent. Prices for other food items including oil pastries, honey cookies and rice cakes also came in lower than last year.

Among retail channels, hypermarkets were the only type to record a year-on-year decline, with ritual food costs falling 9.0 percent. Independent supermarkets rose 6.9 percent and traditional markets 3.8 percent.

The council said the drop at hypermarkets reflected government discount support for agricultural and livestock products. However, it noted that traditional markets may not capture the full picture, as benefits such as Onuri gift voucher rebates are not reflected in listed prices, meaning the actual cost to consumers could differ.