Prices for many food items are rising lately. It’s especially tough for consumers because, with the holidays right around the corner, some purchases can’t be put off. Restaurants, too, are struggling, as they have to pay more for ingredients but fear raising their prices will scare off customers. Mike Laidman reports.




Report

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Grocery store in Jeju City

This is a large grocery store in Jeju City - a store that is seeing fewer people in front of its fruit and vegetable stall due to skyrocketing prices.

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Carrots going for \6,026 per kg

Carrot prices have jumped to the 6,000won/kg range, three times more than last year.

The typhoons which hit the island in 2016 negatively affected the production of cabbages and radishes, and caused these crops to double in price.

Grocery shopping has started to become a genuinely scary venture.

And with Lunar New Year’s Day just around the corner and vegetable prices expected to rise even further, shoppers are rightly becoming more and more concerned.

Interview
Yoon Chun-ja / Aewol-eup resident
Prices have almost doubled. Those with lower incomes in particular are struggling.
<인터뷰 : 윤춘자/애월읍 하귀리>
예전보다 2배 이상 올랐다고 생각해야죠. 없는 사람들은 힘들어요, 물가가 너무 올라서...

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Increasing prices straining restaurant budgets

Kimbap restaurants are feeling the effects of higher egg prices.

It’s not only eggs, but also the prices of laver and vegetables - other kimbap ingredients - which are going up.

But despite this, the restaurants can’t raise kimbap prices due to fear of losing customers. The situation is a difficult one.

Interview
Merchant
We have seen price hikes of all kimbap ingredients - not only eggs, but carrots and laver, too. Whenever we buy eggs, they’re more and more expensive.
<인터뷰 : 상인>
"계란하고 김하고 당근 값도 많이 오르고..한 번에 오르는 것이 아니라 계란이 들어올 때마다 가격이 올라요."

Alongside these food increases, the average price of gasoline in Jeju surpassed 1,600 won/L recently, while plastic waste bags climbed by 40%.

[Reporter] Mike Laidman
[Camera] Park Byeong-joon

Finally, water and sewage bills are expected to rise in May, making it even more difficult for more and more people to make ends meet.

Mike Laidman, KCTV