Han Ga-in, wife of Yeon Jung-hoon, recently opened up about her thoughts on holiday gift-giving.
On September 29, the YouTube channel 'Free Woman Han Ga-in' released a video titled 'Top 9 Holiday Gifts Recommended by Han Ga-in, Praised by Everyone (+Trying Dubai Cookies)'.
In the video, Han Ga-in shared, "During the Lunar New Year, I always think about what gifts to give to relatives and elders. Today, I want to recommend good gift sets ranging from affordable to premium options."
Among the affordable gifts, Han Ga-in recommended Spam with a gold bar concept. During the discussion, the production team mentioned, "Currently, 3kg of pure gold costs 650 million won." Han Ga-in was surprised, recalling, "When I got married, gold was about 50,000 won per don. How much is it now? Isn't it around 700,000 won?" The team corrected her, saying, "It's 810,000 won," to which Han Ga-in responded, "It's surpassed 700,000 won," and joked, "If you have a gold bar Spam at home, you could live off it forever."
Han Ga-in also introduced a glutinous rice cake gift set. During the segment, Dubai chewy cookies were mentioned. Not a fan of sweets, Han Ga-in remarked, "Do people eat Dubai cookies too? Why is Dubai so popular?" She continued, "I've seen many articles about Chef An Sung-jae making long chewy Dubai cookies like injeolmi rice cakes, and receiving a lot of negative comments. I heard he made them again."
The production team revealed that the Dubai strawberry chocolate glutinous rice cake they bought cost 7,900 won, surprising Han Ga-in once more. After taking a bite, she commented, "It's strange. It's too sweet. It wakes me up," and lamented, "It's hard to keep up with trends." After another bite, she said, "What is this? The kadaif is okay. The chocolate is okay too. But they cruelly added red bean paste. It's hardcore for me."
Han Ga-in also tried the Dubai chewy cookie, saying, "It's like sand in my mouth. It smells like hotteok, but after getting through the sand, there's the nutty flavor of seed hotteok. This is better."
Han Ga-in noted, "For elders, holidays can be challenging. There's a lot of holiday stress, and I've heard many couples divorce after the holidays." She added, "Sometimes, I also give money."
Regarding appropriate New Year's money, she said, "For my kids, I think 10,000 won is enough. It's a significant amount." She continued, "For nieces and nephews in elementary school, 10,000 won might not be enough. Maybe 50,000 won? But 50,000 won seems a lot. Kids don't really understand money, but it's a lot." She pondered, "For middle schoolers, maybe 50,000 to 100,000 won, and the same for high schoolers? 200,000 won is too much," adding, "It's difficult. With the introduction of the 50,000 won bill, the value of money seems different."
When asked how much she sends to her parents and in-laws, Han Ga-in replied, "Usually, it's 500,000 won or 1 million won during the holidays." She added, "What can you do? That's why we earn money. It's about sharing our hearts. Although it's expressed with money, it's a way of showing how much I think of and appreciate you. That's why we work hard and earn money."
Han Ga-in's preferred gift is "an E-Mart gift card," saying, "Gift cards are the best. They're practically cash," she laughed.
Kim Ji-won, TenAsia Reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr