The price of a number of foods, including apples and onions, has risen sharply in South Korea in preparation for Chinese New Year celebrations next week, despite government efforts to keep prices level.
Onion prices rose by 6 per cent and apple prices rose 3.8 per cent over a one-week period, reported the JoongAng Daily.
The cost of apples in particular has gone up after a recent price drop due to a good harvest last year, said the Agriculture Ministry.
The South Korean government had boosted the supply of 18 products by 50 per cent from Monday last week in an effort to keep prices down. The government says it will closely monitor those 18 products as the holiday approaches.
A survey from the Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corp said the traditional Korean ancestor-memorial service costs an average of 222,000 won (US$163.54) for food. Of that, 34,059 won goes toward vegetables and 23,271 won towards fruit.
The only horticultural products to fall as the holiday approaches were dates, which fell 11.1 per cent, and radishes, which fell 9.9 per cent.
