I stopped being surprised by Korean customs a long time ago. I wasn’t, therefore, alarmed to discover another custom that was brought to my attention this Chuseok. That’s the concept of pocket money. All of the kids in the family expect to get some amount of pocket money from the older relatives during major holidays. Same as in the US, the notion of “kids” is anyone in high school or below. I was told that a decent amount of $20 or 30 each. There were three of them, so I dropped the equivalent of $90. I’ll end up doing this at Lunar New Year as well.
MyeongHee informed me of another custom in Korea that (somehow) was never divulged in the dating process. Pocket money extends to retired parents, too. But it’s not just at Chuseok or other significant holidays. I am expected to give her mother pocket money every time she visits our home. Not just $20 or 30, though, as $100 or $150 is a normal amount to give a Zang-Mo-Nim, as mother-in-laws are called here.

It might be prudent to switch currencies if I’m to give away so much money. I doubt if very many folks back home have kept up with the value of the US Dollar versus foreign currencies. When I first came to Korea in 2004, a dollar was worth almost 1200 Won.  These days, a dollar is only about 920 Won – a 25% drop in value. If I switch to give away dollars, it’ll cost me less.  Always looking for an edge 🙂