But Ms. Joo added that the holiday has a “bright energy” that tends to bring people together. Joo Jae-wook and his daughter, Joo Hyena, in Seoul. "The government will need to announce measures that will help people spend time with their families in a safer manner.". Songpyeon 송편. in Gangnam, a well-heeled Seoul district. Mr. Choi, 39, and his parents normally spend Chuseok in South Jeolla province, where his father grew up. And they always save room for the giant meal that they eat with their parents to mark Chuseok, the rough Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed.

Trump joins other world leaders who have contracted the virus. The graveyard is one of many that have closed in South Korea during the Chuseok holiday, as part of a campaign against the country’s latest coronavirus outbreak. Train tickets sell out well in advance. Korail, South Korea’s state-owned railroad operator, was selling only window seats to comply with rules on social distancing.

The ministry is planning to carry out inspections in cooperation with local governments and other relevant organizations into companies suspected of illegal waste disposal.

South Korea holidays 2020. “We renew our sense of community and belonging by getting together and catching up with relatives.”. On Wednesday, President Moon Jae-in told the nation that South Korea’s people were observing Chuseok at a “difficult time,” and their sacrifices would be rewarded. to 'Will you shut up? Yesan County in South Chungcheong Province has decided to shut down a cemetery there from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4 to prevent infection clusters that could occur with many people visiting.

Specifically, the country's daily tally of new cases has been in triple digits since Aug. 13 amid a second wave of infections, although for the last three days the total has stayed below 100.

South Korea Public Holidays 2020 This page contains a national calendar of all 2020 public … Is Chuseok a Public Holiday? “But this year things are fragmented, and the streets seem lonesome.”. and dongdongju. “For people in my generation, Chuseok means family and comfort,” Mr. Joo said.

As for Chuseok, she said, young people often find it tedious because relatives often ask intrusive questions about their careers and relationships. Traditionally, families would gather round and make songpyeon, but these days you can buy them at the market. "We hope residents will understand the government's decision.". The decision came as several people there who recently tested positive for COVID-19 were found to have had contact with infected persons living in the other parts of the country. The county office asked people who were planning to visit the cemetery to honor the memory of deceased family members during Chuseok to consider alternatives.

For its part, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has asked government offices to be fully ready for a possible surge in complaints during Chuseok amid growing fears over more outbreaks during the holiday. "Highway toll fees have been waived since 2017, but those fees will be collected this year in order to prevent highways from getting congested," Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Kim Gang-lip said.


As a celebration of the good harvest, Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns and share a feast of Korean traditional food such as songpyeon and rice wines such as sindoju. Chuseok 2020 September 30 - October 2 Celebrate and learn about the Korean Mid-Autumn harvest festival! Kim noted highway toll fees collected during Chuseok will be used to support the disinfection of service areas.

They drive from Seoul with their respective families, foregoing a bullet train that would cut the journey in half, with car trunks full of presents.

We ask people to fully cooperate," a county office official said. “It feels pretty desolate these days,” Mr. Choi said, sitting on a bench outside a cafe.

Shin Kyeong-shik, right, at a memorial hall in Incheon, South Korea, last month with his mother and son. It is also celebrated in North Korea, albeit without the Thanksgiving-like holiday travel rush that precedes the version in the South. ET; ... During a normal Chuseok, South Korea’s roads and public transit system strain to accommodate all the people who are … Based on these experiences, the government is asking people to refrain from visiting their hometowns or places where many traditionally gather during the holiday, designating the two weeks starting Sept. 28 as a "special period" for strong nationwide anti-virus efforts. SEOUL, South Korea — Once a year for the past three decades, the Joo brothers have traveled back to their hometown from South Korea’s capital to mark the Chuseok holiday.

Some of her fondest memories, she said, are of riding through rice and pepper fields in the early autumn, on the back of her late maternal grandfather’s motorbike.

Many South Koreans are very meticulous when it comes to knowing where their heritage comes from.

The day before Chuseok is a very busy day to travel as people leave Seoul to go to their hometowns.

The anxiety is palpable. “But I’m scared because we don’t know if there will ever be an end to this.”.

They typically drive to see Mr. Joo’s parents for Chuseok, but have called off this year’s gathering because of the pandemic. A woman waves farewell to her son and granddaughter at Seoul Station on Wednesday, as they leave to visit their in-laws for Chuseok. The couple’s daughter, Joo Hyena, 26, said that many young people in South Korea feel as though the pandemic has left them “abandoned and thrown onto the floor.”. The commission said many people have already made a lot of inquiries about travel or gathering restrictions, social distaining guidelines and school schedules during the holiday.

Chuseok is a public holiday. This year, the government has asked South Koreans to stay home during Chuseok, which runs through the weekend, to avoid exacerbating the country’s latest coronavirus outbreak. But they’re skipping the trip this year because his mother is unwell, he said, and he plans to spend the holiday watching Netflix.

“I’m an active and social person, but some kind of emotional barrier has gone up among us.”. Oct. 2, 2020, 2:01 a.m. Local governments are also working hard to draw up their own countermeasures against the spread of the disease. Chuseok is one of Korea's biggest annual celebrations, during which millions of people travel to their hometowns nationwide to perform ancestral commemoration ceremonies and spend time with their family members.