Department stores are rolling out unique gifts ahead of Chuseok, including rare ingredients, traditional crafts, and travel packages.
According to the industry on the 3rd, Lotte Department Store and Hyundai Department Store will begin full-scale sales of Chuseok gift sets on the 4th. Shinsegae Department Store will also start full sales on the 4th, beginning with select locations.
Lotte Department Store increased the number of Chuseok gift set items by 20% from last year and prepared a record volume. It strengthened premium products using highly rare ingredients.
It will debut "Ulleung premium from jibso cattle," selected only from 1++ grade among Ulleung jibso cattle of which about 200 head are used annually. It will also offer limited sales of "Eunpoongjunsi Sobok dried persimmons," known to have been presented to kings in the Joseon era, and "Almas Gold Caviar," considered rare caviar.
Gifts also include "traditional sauce croaker," boneless croaker seasoned with gochujang and doenjang, and "Yeonggwang steamed barley croaker," pre-steamed for easy reheating in a microwave. It will also introduce freshness-focused items such as sesame and perilla oil sets pressed on the morning of delivery.
Shinsegae Department Store is targeting demand for high-end gifts with its premium food brands "5-STAR," "Shinsegae female premium Korean beef, known as hanwoo," and "Select Farm," among others.
It will sell "Luxury premium Korean beef, known as hanwoo The Signature," made with female premium Korean beef, known as hanwoo at the top 3% level within the 1++ grade, for 3 million won, and top-grade premium croaker for 3.5 million won.
House of Shinsegae Dessert Salon will present Korean dessert sets such as a lacquered wooden box Korean confectionery set and a white porcelain box flower songpyeon set. At "Local is Shinsegae," it will sell traditional crafts such as white porcelain moon jars and nacre inlay crafts.
Through the premium travel platform "Via Shinsegae," it also proposes travel gifts such as a European New Year's concert tour, a Hong Kong gourmet trip, an Egypt history tour, and a Serengeti safari.
Hyundai Department Store strengthened small-pack premium Korean beef, known as hanwoo gift sets in line with the trend of simplifying holiday rituals. This year it expanded its premium Korean beef, known as hanwoo gift set volume by 10% from last year to 120,000 sets.
It will expand the "Sodam set," which divides 1++ grade premium Korean beef, known as hanwoo and specialty cuts into 200-gram portions, and will also offer "Hyundai luxury premium Korean beef, known as hanwoo Number Nine," made with No. 9, the highest marbling grade, for 3 million won.
It will also sell influencer collaboration products such as a boneless grilled fish set created with fishing YouTuber "Jinseokgi Era," an abalone porridge with innards set using Chef Jang Ho-jun's special recipe, and "Mengjiram," a Chinese baijiu recommended by Chef Jung Ji-seon.
The competition for ultra-high-end products continues. Hyundai Department Store will offer the "Pétrus 18-bottle vertical collection" for 3.6 billion won. It will also sell rare liquors as gift items, including the "Leroy 2 types + Riedel glass set" for 1.2 billion won and "Balvenie 50 Years" for 850 million won.