What Do Koreans Give Each Other for Chuseok?

Cash, fruit boxes, Spam gift sets, and the little dilemma behind Korea’s holiday gifts

As Chuseok approaches, gift sets begin appearing everywhere in South Korea. Department stores and supermarkets fill their shelves with neatly arranged boxes of Korean beef, fruit, cooking oil, health products, and canned Spam.

For many people, however, the holiday season brings a familiar question: What should I give my parents, relatives, or someone I want to thank?

It sounds simple. But choosing a Chuseok gift can involve more thought than expected. The recipient’s age, personal taste, health, and daily habits all come into consideration. And sometimes, the gift that looks impressive may not be the one the recipient actually wants.

The Gift Dilemma: What Should I Buy?

A look at conversations on 82cook, a Korean online community where people share everyday questions and advice, reveals just how many possibilities people consider when choosing Chuseok gifts.

When someone asks what to give an older family member, the recommendations can be surprisingly varied.

Some suggest New Care, a nutritional drink often considered for older adults. Others say they replace an aging household appliance for their parents. Department-store holiday gift sets, good olive oil, cosmetics, perfume, and hair-care products also come up.

Then there are the familiar choices: Korean beef, fruit boxes, and cash.

There is no single answer. A gift that feels thoughtful to one person may not be particularly useful to another. The discussion often becomes less about finding the most expensive item and more about figuring out what the recipient would genuinely appreciate.

The Gift Many Family Members Would Rather Receive: Cash

Among family members, cash can be one of the most welcome Chuseok gifts.

For adult children, giving parents holiday money is a familiar way to express gratitude and care. Rather than guessing which product their parents might need, they can give them money to spend however they wish.

A recent 2026 survey reported by the Seoul Economic Daily found that cash gifts for parents were the largest individual category of expected Chuseok spending among surveyed consumers who planned to give them. The report also found that cash was the most common form of the gift money among office workers who planned to give it.

This helps explain why, within families, a beautifully packaged gift set may sometimes be less appealing than an envelope of cash.

Of course, cash is not necessarily appropriate for every relationship. Gifts exchanged with colleagues, acquaintances, or business contacts can carry different expectations. But between parents and adult children, money can be a direct and practical expression of affection.

Fruit Is a Classic Gift—but Will It Taste Good?

Fruit boxes are another familiar Chuseok gift. Apples and Korean pears, carefully arranged in a box, can look generous and festive.

Yet choosing fruit comes with its own uncertainty: Will it actually taste good?

The fruit may look beautiful, but what if it is bland, too hard, or not sweet enough? The giver may spend time and money selecting an attractive box, only to wonder whether the recipient will enjoy eating it.

This is one of the small but very real concerns behind holiday gift shopping. A gift is not just something to hand over. The giver hopes it will be enjoyed.

The Spam Gift Set—and Its Second Life on Danggeun

Few products are as recognizable in Korea’s holiday gift culture as Spam gift sets.

These boxed assortments of canned luncheon meat are widely exchanged during major holidays. But not every household needs—or wants—another set.

Around the holiday season, Spam gift sets can often be spotted on Danggeun, a popular Korean secondhand marketplace. Some recipients choose to sell unopened sets rather than keep them in the pantry.

There is something revealing about this small ritual. A gift can be perfectly acceptable as a holiday present and still not be what a particular household needs.

In a way, the resale listing becomes a practical answer to the original gift dilemma: if the recipient does not need it, someone else might.

Regional Gifts: A Taste of Somewhere Else

Not every Chuseok gift comes from a department-store shelf.

Regional specialty gift sets can be a thoughtful alternative. Local fruit, dried seafood, traditional foods, and other products associated with a particular region can offer something distinctive.

These gifts may carry a little sense of place—a taste of a region that the recipient might not usually get to enjoy. For someone who values local products or enjoys trying something different, a regional specialty can feel more personal than a standard gift set.

More Than What’s Inside the Box

Chuseok gift-giving is not simply a shopping tradition. It is a long-standing way to express gratitude that often goes unspoken in everyday life, wish one another well, and strengthen the bonds between family, friends, and colleagues.

That may be why choosing a gift can feel so surprisingly complicated.

People want to show that they care. They consider cash, health drinks, household appliances, premium olive oil, Korean beef, fruit, and regional specialties. They worry about whether the fruit will taste good—and whether another Spam gift set will end up on Danggeun.

Behind these everyday decisions is a familiar hope: that the recipient will feel remembered and appreciated.

Perhaps the most meaningful Chuseok gift is not necessarily the most expensive or impressive one. It is the one that makes the recipient feel that someone took the time to think about them.

And sometimes, that thoughtful gift comes in a department-store box. Sometimes it comes in an envelope.