'Don't bring anything for Chuseok'? That means bring a fat envelope, says Park Myung-soo

Broadcaster Park Myung-soo has sparked conversation ahead of the Chuseok holiday by offering a candid reading of a phrase older relatives commonly use: "Don't bother bringing anything."

Park was hosting the "Myeongsu's Choice" segment on KBS Cool FM's "Park Myung-soo's Radio Show" on Wednesday, fielding dilemmas sent in by listeners.

One listener wrote in asking whether it was acceptable to show up empty-handed after a mother-in-law insisted no gifts were needed for Chuseok this year — or whether a small cash gift might still be in order.

"What a clueless yangban," Park said, drawing laughter. "She's telling you to skip the stuff and make the envelope thick."

"Don't waste money on useless things — cash is king," he added.

Meanwhile, with this year's Chuseok holiday running from Thursday through Sunday, a survey has found that six in 10 South Koreans plan to spend the relatively short break resting at home.

Research firm PMI surveyed 1,000 adults aged 20 to 69 nationwide from Sept. 11 to Sept. 14 and released the results Monday. Among respondents, 59.6 percent said they planned to stay home and rest — the most popular response.

That was followed by visiting a hometown or family home (40.0 percent), domestic travel (18.9 percent), pursuing hobbies (12.5 percent) and meeting friends or acquaintances (10.7 percent). Some 8.4 percent said they would go to work or handle business matters, while overseas travel was limited to 6.0 percent.

When asked about their preferred holiday gift, just over half — 54 percent — chose cash or gift certificates, up slightly from 49.4 percent last year.

Fruit gift sets came in second at 23.7 percent, followed by meat gift sets at 23.4 percent and health supplement sets at 22.5 percent.

On gift spending, the most common budget range was 100,000 to 290,000 won, cited by 37.2 percent of respondents. A total of 72.7 percent of all respondents expected to spend less than 500,000 won.