"Don't Worry About Holiday Food" Retailers and Hotels Flood Market with Easy Charye Dishes

Increase by 20% the quantity of Jeon made in-store and ready-to-eat Namul
Receive a 5,000 KRW Shinsegae gift card with Peacock easy Jesuyongpum purchases over 25,000 KRW

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] With the increase of ‘Gwipojok’ who give up returning to their hometowns and ‘Homchujok’ who spend Chuseok at home, it is expected that more people will prepare holiday food in a 'convenient' way. In response, distribution companies and luxury hotels have launched various holiday food sales.

Emart announced on the 23rd that from the 29th of this month to the 2nd of next month, for four days, it will sell representative holiday dishes such as jeon (Korean pancakes) freshly pan-fried in-store at 83 locations nationwide, as well as various seasoned vegetables in packs. Nokdujeon (mung bean pancakes) are priced at 3,980 KRW each, Dongtaejeon (pollack pancakes), Osaek Kkojijeon (five-colored skewer pancakes), and Aehobakjeon (zucchini pancakes) are 3,280 KRW per 100g, and Donggeurangttaeng (meat patties) and Japchae (glass noodles with vegetables) are 1,780 KRW per 100g. Assorted jeon is offered at 19,980 KRW per 945g pack. Various seasoned vegetables such as spinach, bellflower root, bracken, and radish are available from 2,980 to 14,980 KRW per 250g pack.

Emart expects sales of freshly pan-fried jeon sold in-store to increase this year, aligning with the trend of conveniently creating a festive atmosphere, and has prepared 20% more stock. Peacock will hold an event from the 24th to the 4th of next month, giving customers who purchase Peacock ritual items worth over 25,000 KRW a 5,000 KRW Shinsegae gift certificate. The event products include about 40 varieties ranging from songpyeon (rice cakes), sikhye (sweet rice drink), tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties), to various jeon. It is possible to prepare a full ancestral rite table using only Peacock products. Representative items include Peacock Songpyeon 600g for 6,280 KRW, Peacock Assorted Jeon 470g for 8,880 KRW, Peacock Seafood Donggeurangttaeng 385g (2 pieces) for 6,980 KRW, and Peacock Soonhee’s Meat Patties Jeon 450g, a collaboration with the famous Soonhee’s Bindaetteok from Gwangjang Market, for 5,980 KRW.

Peacock ritual items have seen annual sales growth due to the convenience of simply heating the labor-intensive holiday foods in a microwave or frying pan. Looking at Emart’s Peacock ritual item sales during the week before Chuseok, sales increased 3.5 times in five years from 450 million KRW in 2014 to 1.6 billion KRW last year. Especially this year, Emart expects sales to rise to 1.8 billion KRW due to increased demand from those who cannot visit their hometowns and want to soothe their feelings with holiday food.

Luxury hotels are also making and selling holiday foods directly. Lotte Hotel World in Jamsil, Seoul, will sell a ‘Delight Box’ from the 27th of this month to the 4th of next month to ease the burden of holiday food and Chuseok ancestral rites. The three-tier box includes: the first tier with galbijjim (braised short ribs, 120g), japchae, rolled kimchi, abalone vinegar (120g), three-color jeon (Omisanjeok, zucchini jeon, kimchi jeon), and five-grain rice; the second tier with steamed large shrimp (4 pieces), grilled yellow croaker (2 pieces), and four kinds of seasoned vegetables; and the third tier with walnut rolls, songpyeon, and other holiday snacks, offering 15 representative holiday dishes. The price is 225,000 KRW. Additionally, Lotte Hotel Seoul in Sogong-dong operates a ‘Family Gathering’ menu, combining popular hotel restaurant dishes with Chuseok holiday menus, selectable according to the number of people. Prices range from 150,000 to 420,000 KRW.

JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul offers holiday food set packaging services. All dishes are cooked directly by chefs from the hotel’s restaurant ‘Tavolo 24.’ The Grand Intercontinental Seoul Parnas and Intercontinental Seoul COEX prepare nine types of ancestral rite foods such as tangguk (soup), yukjeon (pan-fried beef), eojuk (fish jelly), and domijeon (sea bream pancakes) by Korean cuisine specialist chefs, and hotel staff deliver them directly. The price is 790,000 KRW.