Ahead of Chuseok, the government will supply 183,000 tons (t) of key agricultural, livestock and fishery products, the largest volume on record, and support 103 billion won in government discounts. It plans to cut grocery costs by discounting agricultural and livestock products by up to 40% and fishery products by up to 50%.
The Ministry of Finance and Economy and other related ministries announced a "Chuseok livelihood stabilization plan" at a Cabinet meeting on the 1st. The plan focuses on four areas: stabilizing prices of seasonal items, easing household burdens, boosting domestic demand, and public safety. It particularly emphasized lowering grocery costs.
The government will supply 183,000 t of 19 key Chuseok items. That is 1.6 times the usual level and the largest ever. It will supply 18,000 t of vegetables such as napa cabbage and radishes, and 32,000 t of fruits such as apples and pears. It will also increase slaughter and shipment volumes of livestock to 1.3 times the usual level, supplying 90,000 t of beef and pork and 17,000 t of chicken, and expand egg supplies to 2.4 times the usual level.
The discount support is also the largest ever. The government will invest 103 billion won, the highest on record, to discount agricultural and livestock products such as apples, pears and beef by up to 40% online and offline starting Sept. 3, and major fishery products such as pollack, mackerel and gim by up to 50% starting on the 9th.
The traditional market cashback event will also be expanded. At 300 traditional markets, shoppers will receive on-site refunds of up to 20,000 won in Onnuri gift certificates, equal to about 30% of their purchases of agricultural, livestock and fishery products. The number of participating markets increased from 200 each last year to 300.
In addition, gift sets of agricultural and livestock products such as fruits, ceremonial items and premium Korean beef, known as hanwoo will be discounted by up to 50%, and fishery gift sets by up to 53%. More than 4,700 processed food items such as ramen and bread will also receive special discounts of up to 64%. Through a joint task force on livelihood prices with related ministries, the government will check price and supply trends daily and respond immediately if needed.
To boost domestic demand during the holiday, highway tolls will be waived for four days from Sept. 24 to 27, and admission fees will not be charged for the four royal palaces, Jongmyo Shrine, the royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, museums and national recreational forests. The pilot project to innovate the emergency patient transport system to prevent delays in transporting emergency patients will be expanded nationwide, and related guideline revisions will be completed before Chuseok.
The criteria for paying disaster recovery funds to farms hit by heat waves and drought will be expanded, and disaster relief funds will be paid before Chuseok to fishing households affected by high water temperatures and residents affected by heavy rains in July. Care and support services during the holiday will also be strengthened for seniors living alone, children facing food insecurity and people with disabilities.