COVID-19 Hampered South Korea’s Chuseok Holiday — But Daughters-In-Law Got A Break

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On Chuseok, one of the biggest holidays in South Korea, a collective ancestral rite is held at Jogyesa Buddhist Temple in central Seoul.

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A day before the Chuseok holiday, children run around artificial full moons, part of an installation at a park in eastern Seoul. Koreans believe that wishes made to the full moon on Chuseok will come true. The Seongdong District Office teamed up with local businesses to install the moons as a way to convey hope in the time of COVID-19.

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The Seoul train station was unusually empty last Tuesday, a day before the Chuseok holiday began. South Korea’s Korail train operator only sold window seats to enforce social distancing this year.

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Soldiers stand guard at the Memorial Gate in the Seoul National Cemetery the day before the Chuseok holiday last week. The cemetery is only allowing a limited number of visitors due to COVID-19.

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Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Seoul National Cemetery is virtually empty. The cemetery is only allowing a limited number of visitors who make reservations online, and was closed during the Chuseok holidays.

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Before the holiday, shoppers buy groceries at Gyeongdong Market in eastern Seoul for the preparation of ritual foods for Chuseok.

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Visitors crowd the Gyeongdong Market in eastern Seoul on Sept. 29, a day before the start of the Chuseok holiday.

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Visitors walk across a graveyard at the Seoul National Cemetery last week.

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Visitors walk across a graveyard at the Seoul National Cemetery last week.

Jun Michael Park for NPR