Gov't, PPP agree to adopt measures to lower Chuseok holiday costs

President Yoon Suk Yeol told ministers to focus on stabilizing the economy and shoring up livelihoods at a Cabinet meeting on Monday, according to the presidential office.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, second from left, presides over a meeting of senior aides at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Monday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

President Yoon Suk Yeol told ministers to focus on stabilizing the economy and shoring up livelihoods at a Cabinet meeting on Monday, according to the presidential office.

Yoon’s directive came a day after officials from the presidential office met representatives of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) and agreed to provide 40 trillion won ($30.1 billion) in aid to small and medium-sized businesses to support them ahead of the Chuseok holiday period, which runs from Sept. 14 to 18 this year.

According to PPP spokesperson Han Zeea, the government also plans to release 170,000 tons of fruits and vegetables commonly consumed during Chuseok, such as napa cabbages, apples and pears, to rein in inflation.

Demand for groceries usually rises ahead of Chuseok as people stock ingredients to cook large meals for family gatherings that are customarily held during the holiday.

The main Chuseok ritual for many Korean families is charye, an offering of some 30 different dishes on an altar dedicated to a family’s ancestors, although the tradition is increasingly unpopular for the disproportionate burden it places on women.

Han added that the government and PPP agreed to suspend highway tolls and discount high-speed rail tickets for people traveling into the Seoul metropolitan region during the holiday period.

Most vehicular and rail traffic during Chuseok flows out of the capital as Koreans traditionally gather with extended families in their hometowns for the holiday, though that practice is also waning as more people opt to travel overseas with only their immediate family members or dine with relatives in a restaurant.

According to the PPP, the president is scheduled to meet the party’s leaders for a dinner meeting on Friday, where they are expected to discuss policy matters before the opening of the regular National Assembly session next month.

Yoon is expected to dine with PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, floor leader Choo Kyung-ho, five PPP Supreme Council members and party policy chief Kim Sang-hoon, according to PPP officials.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]