As Chuseok approaches, convenience stores are launching a variety of ready-to-eat meals featuring traditional holiday dishes such as jeon, japchae, and bulgogi. With more consumers opting to purchase meals rather than prepare them at home, the product range has expanded beyond lunch boxes to include kimbap, onigiri, songpyeon, and yakgwa.
According to the convenience store industry on September 8, GS25, CU, Seven Eleven, and Emart24 are set to release new holiday meal products this month.
CU will introduce the 'Bountiful Chuseok Feast Lunch Box' on the 15th, which includes soy sauce bulgogi, japchae, omisandeok, kimchi pancakes, seafood chive pancakes, and three types of namul. They will also offer individual items like japchae and pancakes, as well as a small pack of 'sesame songpyeon' with eight pieces.
Demand for holiday ready-to-eat meals has been steadily increasing. CU's sales of lunch boxes during the three-day Chuseok holiday rose by 18.5% in 2023, 20.8% in 2024, and 12.2% last year compared to the previous year. Last year's holiday lunch box sales saw 60.5% coming from areas densely populated with single-person households, such as university districts and studio apartments.
GS25 will launch 'Chuseok Japchae & Jeon' and kimbap filled with bulgogi and namul on the 15th, followed by onigiri topped with gondre namul and grilled meat on the 22nd. This marks an expansion from just lunch boxes to include kimbap and onigiri.
Earlier, on September 1, GS25 released the 'Chuseok Special Lunch Box,' which features black rice, Jeonju bibimbap, and rapeseed namul, along with japchae, tteokgalbi, jeon, and songpyeon.
Seven Eleven has broadened its holiday product lineup from lunch boxes to include kimbap and musubi. Their 'Lucky Filled Tteokgalbi Kimbap' and 'Lucky Filled Meat Sanjeok Musubi' utilize their proprietary 'Rice Project' technology to maintain moisture and stickiness even when refrigerated. On the 15th, they will launch the 'Lucky Filled Feast Lunch Box,' which contains 11 side dishes, including beef bulgogi, assorted jeon, and smoked duck.
According to Seven Eleven, sales of holiday-themed ready-to-eat meals in October last year, which included Chuseok, increased by 23% for triangle kimbap and 15% for lunch boxes compared to September of the previous year.
Emart24 will introduce the 'Chuseok Full Moon Feast' on the 16th, which offers a complete meal from main dishes to dessert. It includes black rice, pork bulgogi, three types of jeon, japchae, three-color namul, and mini sweet rice yakgwa, totaling ten menu items. Last year's Chuseok lunch box, 'Chuseok Holiday Big.Zip,' ranked second in sales for Emart24 lunch boxes within ten days of its release.
The expansion of holiday products by convenience stores is attributed to the rise in single- and two-person households, along with a shift towards purchasing only what is needed for holiday meals. Notably, this year features a trend towards offering all traditional holiday foods in one lunch box, along with smaller packs of songpyeon and yakgwa, as well as kimbap and onigiri for more options.
An industry insider stated, "There is a growing demand for consumers to conveniently purchase only the necessary items from nearby convenience stores rather than preparing food themselves during the holidays. The market for holiday ready-to-eat meals is continuing to expand from lunch boxes to individual items and desserts, especially among single-person households."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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