"Everything Has Gone Up"... Long Queues Form for Half-Price Hanwoo

[Anchor]

Many people are worried about grocery prices ahead of Chuseok. The government has announced that it will expand the supply of high-demand items to record levels and monitor prices on a daily basis.

Reporter Jeong Seong-jin has the details.

[Reporter]

A long line has formed in front of the meat section.

With Hanwoo (Korean beef) prices hovering around 10% higher than last Chuseok, shoppers rushed in for the half-price promotion.

Major seafood items such as hairtail and Alaska pollock have also surged by nearly 10% compared to last year.

After picking up a fish and putting it back down, a consumer ultimately gives up on the purchase and turns their attention to government-supported discounted seafood items at a large supermarket.

[Supermarket Shopper: Prices are skyrocketing. I came a bit early when it was less busy to check things out and buy those kinds of items...]

Vegetable prices, such as spinach and zucchini, which spiked due to the heatwaves, are still not coming down.

[Supermarket Shopper: I stopped by Costco and the apartment market, and came here last. I'm shopping around while comparing prices.]

It is estimated that the cost of preparing the Chuseok ancestral table this year will exceed 300,000 won even when shopping at traditional markets.

[Lee Ji-yeon and Kim Kyung-ja / Yangcheon-gu, Seoul: It's too expensive. (Herbs have gone up a lot.) We really can't buy them. So we're buying just a little bit at a time.]

[Kim Jong-sung / Traditional Market Vendor: It definitely feels like the number of customers has dropped by 20% to 30% compared to last year.]

With the Chuseok holiday two weeks away, the government is rolling out even tougher price stabilization measures.

It has expanded the list of participating discount retailers, including Nonghyup and the food industry, and extended the promotion period through the end of this month.

At traditional markets, starting on the 16th, which is one week before Chuseok, about 30% of purchase amounts will be refunded in Onnuri gift certificates.

Following a decision to eliminate the limit on agricultural and livestock product discount support by injecting an additional 90 billion won into the existing 100 billion won, the government also announced plans for intensive crackdowns on rip-off pricing.

[Han Sung-sook / Prime Minister: Please ensure that the Chuseok livelihood stabilization measures are executed without a hitch, and respond sternly to activities that disrupt price stability.]

The government also plans to survey 36 major items daily until Chuseok to monitor price trends in real time.

(Photo: Yonhap News) (Video Reporting: Lee Moo-jin, Video Editing: Cho Moo-hwan, Design: Lee Jae-jun, VJ: Lee Ji-hwan)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.