[코로나시대 추석나기] 고향 못 가는 대신 고가 선물로 효도<br /><br />To stop COVID-19 from spreading throughout the country, the South Korean government has advised people not to travel this year during the Chuseok holiday.<br />So instead this year, people are sending friends and family even fancier gifts than usual.<br />Our Kim Sung-min has the story.<br />The lead up to the Chuseok holiday is always a hectic time for farmers,...but this year, this shine muscat grape farm is extra busy .<br />Often considered a 'luxurious' type of grape, shine muscat has become a popular gift for the upcoming holiday, as people are willing to spend more on gifts instead of visiting their families amid COVID-19 pandemic.<br />"These huge grapes are around two and a half times more expensive than regular varieties... but with demand going through the roof, people working at the farm are spending their whole day packing for gift sets."<br />"This year, we are seeing sales surge by around 30 percent. It is so busy that even our clients' employees had to come and help prepare the gift sets."<br />South Korea's largest retailers like e-mart have purchased 11 times more shine muscat grapes than last year.<br />Department store catalogues are full of luxurious products like king oyster mushrooms, dried yellow corvina and wines.<br />The most popular choice for buyers is hanwoo, Korean beef.<br />Hanwoo sets normally range from around 80 U.S. dollars up to more than a thousand dollars,... and this year, the most expensive sets were more popular than before.<br />According to Shinsegae online mall, sales of gift sets priced above 1-hundred-70 U.S. dollars jumped by almost 200 percent on year.<br />"I'm thinking of hanwoo sets because they look the most luxurious. I want to spend more to buy something better than usual because I can't visit them this year. I'm also planning on having them delivered."<br />And the number of package varieties costing between 85 and 170 dollars doubled.<br />That is because the government has eased an anti-corruption law that limits the size of gifts for people who work in certain sectors, temporarily allowing gifts of up to 200-thousand won, or about 170 U.S. dollars.<br />Deliveries are also on the rise.<br />Shinsegae said twice as many people are using its direct delivery service,... as more people are sending love through gift sets, instead of visiting their families.<br />Kim Sung-min, Arirang News<br />
