Do Not Say 'This Word' During Chuseok... Chuseok Seen Through Surveys and Statistics [Curiosity Lab]

Words You Want to Hear and Hate to Hear During Chuseok
You Give Me Strength vs When Will You Have Kids?

Chuseok is a holiday when families who have been living apart gather together after a long time. It would be nice if everything started and ended with kind words, but without consideration, arguments and emotional rifts are bound to occur. There are certain things to avoid and be cautious about during Chuseok. In short, be careful with cars, people, words, and health.

On the morning of September 27, a day before last year's Chuseok holiday, passengers heading to their hometowns were moving to board trains at Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, carrying gifts in both hands. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

◆Everyone goes to their hometown... carrying money and gifts

Since it is a five-day holiday including the weekend, many people visit their families and hometowns. According to a survey by Samsung Card among its members, 64% of respondents said they would visit family and relatives during the Chuseok holiday. Besides visiting family and relatives, activities included ‘having meals with family and relatives (26%)’, ‘rest and leisure activities (18%)’, ‘domestic and international travel (10%)’, and ‘working as usual (6%)’. About nine out of ten people prepare gifts or pocket money, with the most common amount being 100,000 to 300,000 KRW (32%), followed by 300,000 to 500,000 KRW (29%), 500,000 to 1,000,000 KRW (23%), less than 100,000 KRW (9%), and over 1,000,000 KRW (7%). Half of the respondents (49%) said they prepared pocket money, with 33% preparing both pocket money and gifts, and 19% preparing only gifts.

On the 5th, officials are supplying Chuseok currency at the Bank of Korea Currency Receiving Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

◆Wallets have gotten thinner

Although time, cost, and effort are involved, office workers’ wallets have become thinner than before. According to a survey on Chuseok bonus payment plans (Career platform Saramin, targeting 470 companies), 47.7% of companies planned to pay bonuses. This is the lowest figure since Saramin started the survey in 2012. The main reason for not paying Chuseok bonuses was ‘replaced by gifts, etc.’ (40.7%), followed by ‘lack of financial capacity’ (28.0%), ‘no regulations for holiday bonuses’ (24.0%), ‘crisis management’ (17.5%), and ‘failure to meet first-half goals’ (9.8%). Among companies not paying bonuses, 18.3% had paid bonuses last year. The average bonus amount among 224 companies that paid Chuseok bonuses was 665,600 KRW.

Five days before the major Korean holiday Chuseok, apple gift sets are being sold at Hanaro Mart Yangjae Branch in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

◆It is indeed burdensome

What is burdensome during the five-day long Chuseok holiday? (SK Communications ‘NateQ’ survey). Among respondents, 52% said ‘gifts and pocket money for parents and relatives’. Next were ‘burden of preparing holiday food’ (22%), ‘stress of traveling home’ (10%), and ‘nagging from relatives’ (9%), which are common burdens during holidays. Among female respondents, 26% cited ‘preparing holiday food’ as a burden, while only 10% of male respondents did. Also, among people in their 20s who have many concerns about employment, dating, and marriage, the biggest burden during Chuseok was ‘holiday nagging’.

◆Working or studying

The Chuseok experience of MZ generation differs from that of office workers. Eight out of ten part-timers (78%, according to Alba Heaven survey) work during the Chuseok holiday. Among part-timers working during Chuseok, 64% work on their originally scheduled days and hours, 11.9% work overtime, and 8.9% work shorter hours. 10.4% said they take on new short-term part-time jobs instead of their usual ones. 4.8% said they continue their original part-time jobs while also doing new short-term jobs. Among those not currently working part-time, four out of ten plan to find a new part-time job before the Chuseok holiday.

A week before Chuseok, the largest traditional holiday, on the 10th, officials at the Dong Seoul Postal Logistics Center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, are busy sorting Chuseok gifts and parcel deliveries. The Korea Post expects to receive approximately 19.25 million parcels ahead of this Chuseok and has initiated emergency operations at nationwide sorting centers and post offices until the 20th. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Among men and women in their 20s to 40s preparing for civil service exams or certifications (Eduwill survey last year), half said they would study at a study cafe instead of at home to avoid family and relatives during the Chuseok holiday. Study locations included study rooms (27.7%) and unmanned cafes or convenience stores (7.2%). The reasons for feeling burdened by the holiday included ‘mental stress due to generational conflicts with family’ (28.9%), ‘time burden due to travel and visiting relatives’ (27.2%), and ‘physical labor such as long hours of driving or preparing food’ (22.8%). Especially among job seekers in their 20s and 30s, some said they felt pressured about employment. The most common topics that cause family conflicts during holidays were ‘employment-related issues such as salary and company size’ (42.1%), followed by ‘college entrance exams or grades’ (15.8%), ‘marriage status and timing’ (14.9%), and ‘political views’ (13.2%).

Seoul's Sillim-dong "Gosi Village" has seen a decrease in exam candidates following the abolition of the judicial examination, but civil service, police, and company job applicants still live there nurturing their dreams. The old gosiwon have been rebuilt into one-room buildings, filling the streets. Photo by Heo Young-han

◆“Seeing you gives me strength” vs “When will you have kids?”

There are also things people want to hear and things they dislike hearing during Chuseok (2016 survey by Yuhan-Kimberly). The most wanted phrases were "Seeing you gives me strength" (28%), "The holiday is long, so go on a trip" (17%), "You’re getting prettier" (15%), "Let’s buy food outside" (13%), and "Take this pocket money" (12%). On the other hand, the most disliked phrases were "When will you have kids? How about a second child?" (23%), "You’ve gained weight" (20%), "Let’s meet more often" (18%), "When do you plan to get married?" (14%), and "Have you found a job?" (13%). How do job seekers feel? According to a Catch survey on job seekers’ Chuseok plans, the most disliked holiday nagging was ‘employment nagging’ such as “Did OO get a job this time?” at 47%. This was followed by ‘dating/marriage nagging’ at 17%, and comments involving ‘comparison with others’ and ‘appearance criticism’.

◆Divorces increase after holidays?

The correlation between holidays and divorces can be true or false. Looking at trends over the past 10 years, the number of divorces has increased after Chuseok. In 2014 (Chuseok on September 8), divorces in October (10,027 cases) exceeded those in September (9,889 cases). In 2015 (September 27), October (9,789 cases) had more divorces than September (8,809 cases), but considering November (9,096 cases), it is not a perfect match. In 2016 (September 15), October (8,942 cases) had fewer divorces than September (9,107 cases).

On the other hand, in 2017 (October 4), divorces increased in November (9,139 cases) compared to October (8,351 cases). In 2018 (September 24), divorces rose sharply in October (10,548 cases) and November (10,087 cases) compared to September (7,826 cases). In 2019 (September 13), divorces also increased in October (9,859 cases) and November (9,199 cases) compared to September (9,010 cases). During the peak of COVID-19 in 2020, 2021, and 2022, divorces either decreased or showed no significant increase. The most recent year, 2023 (September 29), shows no meaningful analysis possible with September (7,503 cases), October (7,916 cases), and November (7,923 cases).

However, divorce lawyers say consultations increase after holidays. Yuna Choi, a lawyer who recently gained attention for writing ‘Good Partner,’ said in a 2019 interview with Yonhap News, "Divorce consultations double after holidays compared to usual," adding, "The holiday deepens emotional rifts, leading to decisions to divorce." She explained, "During holidays when generations with different values gather, existing marital conflicts combine with mother-in-law/daughter-in-law conflicts and mother-in-law/son-in-law conflicts, increasing the number of people deciding to divorce."

The government has decided to operate the "Chuseok Holiday Emergency Response Week" for two weeks starting from the 11th to prepare for a surge in emergency patients during the Chuseok holiday. On the morning of the 11th, the area in front of the Regional Emergency Medical Center at Korea University Anam Hospital in Seoul is quiet. Photo by Huh Younghan younghan@

◆Don’t get sick

One important thing to avoid during Chuseok is "not getting sick." Large hospitals provide ‘normal treatment,’ and neighborhood clinics plan to open more than twice as much as during last year’s Lunar New Year holiday. However, anxiety about ‘emergency room overcrowding’ is high. According to a survey by the Korean Society of Emergency Physicians, 97% of emergency room doctors in metropolitan medical institutions perceive the Chuseok holiday as a crisis situation. In non-metropolitan areas, 94% said it is a crisis. The Emergency Medical Association said, "The daily number of emergency room visits, usually around 20,000, increased to 30,000 during the holiday last year," adding, "Currently, treatment is already strained, and during the Chuseok holiday, about 10,000 patients per day may not receive emergency care." During the five-day Chuseok holiday from September 14 to 18, the so-called ‘Saturday, night, and holiday medical fee surcharge system’ will be applied, increasing the burden of medical expenses.