Every year, I make sure to celebrate the first full moon day of the lunar calendar, but this year, domestic red beans and glutinous rice are too expensive. I feel like the prices have increased by 45% to 50% compared to last year.
On the morning of the 10th at 10:30 a.m. in Mangwon Market, Mapo District, Kim Hyun-sook (63), who came to buy five grains ahead of the first full moon day on the 12th, said, "Imported red beans are less sweet, but they are 2 to 3 times cheaper than domestic red beans, so I'm struggling to decide." The domestic red beans Kim wanted to purchase cost 25,000 won per kilogram, while the Chinese beans were 12,000 won. After much deliberation, he bought 500 grams of the Chinese red beans and purchased only the domestic ingredients for the five-grain rice, which were glutinous rice and black beans.
Ahead of the first full moon day, the prices of five grains and snacks have risen. According to the Korea Price Information Agency, it was reported that buying all 10 major items, including the ingredients for five grains and snacks, would cost 139,700 won at traditional markets. This amount is a 6.2% increase from last year. The items surveyed include five ingredients for five-grain rice (glutinous rice, sorghum, millet, red beans, black beans) and five snack ingredients (pine nuts, chestnuts, walnuts, ginkgo, peanuts).
The price of 800 grams of glutinous rice at traditional markets is 3,200 won, up 23.1% compared to the previous year. During the same period, the price of 800 grams of red beans rose to 16,000 won, an increase of 45.5%. The price of 720 grams of black beans also rose to 7,500 won, a 7.1% increase. Snacks, too, see ginkgo priced at 6,000 won for 600 grams, which is a 16.7% increase. The price of 400 grams of peanuts is now 10,000 won, up 11.1%.
At the World Cup Market in Mapo District, a merchant named Choi (45) said, "This year, due to abnormal weather, the production of domestic grains, walnuts, and peanuts has been poor," adding, "The decrease in production has caused prices to soar." Choi was selling 400 grams of domestic peanuts for 12,000 won, while the same amount of Chinese peanuts was priced at 3,000 won. Choi also mentioned, "Since this food is consumed on the first full moon day, I recommend domestic products," pointing to the small packaged walnuts and peanuts, as well as grains.
Indeed, like Choi, across various traditional markets, domestic five grains and snacks were sold in small packages at prices ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 won. This is for consumers looking for even small amounts of domestic products. A housewife named Jung Ae-ran (54) visiting Gyeongdong Market in Dongdaemun District said, "To prepare one meal of five-grain rice, I could buy domestic red beans, millet, and black beans for 1,000 to 2,000 won each, which reduces the burden."
Large supermarkets are seemingly focusing on the supply of imported five-grain and snack products. They have set up a separate section for the first full moon day in stores, displaying both domestic and imported products, and some imported items have been offered under a 1+1 (one plus one) discount promotion.
Homeplus sold Canadian red beans for 9,900 won for 600 grams instead of domestic red beans. Lotte Mart offered Canadian (1 kg) and Peruvian (1.2 kg) red beans for 7,990 won each. Emart ran a discount event on Chinese roasted peanuts and American walnuts.
A housewife named Oh Yu-jin (34) who visited a Lotte Mart in Jung-gu said, "Since this is my first first full moon day after marriage, I wanted to make five-grain rice with domestic ingredients, but I couldn't put them in my cart after seeing the high prices." She added, "I bought relatively cheaper imported red beans and American walnuts." The Canadian red beans (1 kg) she purchased that day cost 7,990 won, while domestic red beans (500 g) were priced at 17,990 won.
According to the Korea Price Information Agency, if you purchase the 10 major items, including domestic five grains and snacks at large supermarkets, it would cost 185,220 won. This amount represents an 8% increase from the previous year. The total price of five ingredients for five-grain rice at large supermarkets is 62,940 won, a 16.2% rise compared to last year. The price of 400 grams of walnuts for snacks is 14,520 won, which is a 3.6% increase from the previous year, while the price for 400 grams of peanuts is 13,560 won, up 13.4% from last year. The price of 600 grams of ginkgo has also risen to 9,840 won, which is a 15.2% increase from last year.
A representative of a large supermarket noted, "The production of ginkgo and peanuts has decreased, and the nature of these items requires manual labor. The rise in labor costs has affected prices as well," adding, "Due to abnormal weather, the prices of dried vegetables have increased by 10% to 20%. As the prices of first full moon day ingredients soar, we aimed to stabilize prices by offering imported substitutes in shopping baskets."