Chuseok is just days away. Prices for fruits and vegetables have jumped due to the heat and drought last summer. Here’s Joseph Kim with a look at the prices for items that are necessary for holiday ancestral rites.
Report
[slug]
Jeju City supermarket
A shopper pauses at the vegetable stand of a supermarket.
Vegetable prices have soared.
She hesitates to place some of the items in her shopping basket.
###cg in ####
The retail price of a head of Chinese cabbage is 6,480 won. That’s 63 percent more expensive than last year.
Spinach and lettuce are 40 percent more expensive.
The price of radish is currently over 3,000 won… which is up from around two thousand won a year ago.
### cg out ###
Record heat and drought during the last summer have fueled the price rise.
Recording
Oh Yu-gyeong / Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation
Harsh weather conditions are to blame for the skyrocketing prices. Record heat and drought withered produce.
<싱크 : 오유경 한국농수산식품유통공사 제주지역본부 조사관>
"날씨 때문입니다. (이번 여름은) 더위가 심하기도 했고, 가뭄도 심했고 해서... 농작물이 다 말라버린거예요"
It’s the same story with meat.
### pip in
(삼겹살) Samgyeopsal or pork belly is over 3,000 won per 100 grams.. which is up from 2,100 won a year ago.
Korean beef sirloin is also more expensive. The price crept up to 8,700 won from 7,100 won per 100 grams from a year earlier.
### pip out
Chuseok is just days away. Many people across the island are worried about how much it will cost to hold ancestral rites this year.
INTRVIEW
Consumer
It’s tough. We can’t reduce the number of items we need for ancestral rites. Skyrocketing prices for vegetables, fruits, and meat are a massive burden.
<인터뷰 : 주부 >
"많이 부담되죠. 젯수를 줄일 수는 없는 거잖아요. 꼭 필요한 물품인데...꼭 필요한 채소, 과일, 육류가 가격이 오르다 보니까... 정말 많이 부담돼요. "
Meanwhile, egg prices have dropped slightly amid the insecticide contamination scandal.
[Reporter] Joseph Kim
With one of the biggest national holidays soon upon us, families are worried that the cost of holding traditional ancestral rites this Chuseok will put a dent in their wallets.
Joseph Kim, KCTV
