South Koreans get creative with Parents' Day gifts

Korea Herald

04-05-2025

As an alternative to traditional gifts of carnations, Koreans opt for cash with a side of fun
May is known as 'Family Month' in South Korea, as it has several days to celebrate and show love for those held closest to people's hearts.
One such commemorative day is Parents' Day on May 8. A time-honored tradition in South Korea has children give carnations to their parents to express gratitude for their love and care.
However, some Koreans have recently shown a shift in preferences for Parents' Day, as they search for gifts that are more meaningful and worthwhile.
Kwon Young-june, a 53-year-old office worker, is one person who a few years ago made the switch from giving carnations.
'I used to give my parents a bouquet of carnations along with some other gifts like nutritional supplements. But I've noticed that flowers have gotten increasingly expensive nowadays and that they wither quite quickly compared to how much I paid for them,' Kwon told The Korea Herald.
'Since a few years back, I realized it would be better for me to spend what I would have spent on a bouquet of flowers on something more memorable and cost-effective, such as a fancy dinner outing with some additional gifts and a money envelope.'
Adding that his parents also seemed to enjoy his change in gifts, Kwon added that he plans to do the same this year by treating them to a nice family meal and a short weekend trip to the outskirts of Seoul.
Kwon isn't the only one making the change -- a decrease in carnation sales suggests fewer Koreans are buying the flowers to celebrate Parents' Day.
According to Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation's floral distribution data, carnation sales have seen a steady decrease. While some 80,000 bundles were sold in May 2021, a decrease in sales of about 50 percent was noted around the same time in 2024, when around 40,000 bundles were sold.
Besides replacing carnations with gifts some would consider more valuable, other Koreans have started to prefer giving cash instead of physical gifts on Parents' Day. According to a survey conducted by Lotte Members' research platform Lime in 2024, 62.2 percent of respondents said they planned to give cash gifts. Nutritional supplements came in a distant second at 10.2 percent, followed by clothing and fashion accessories at 6.5 percent.
'In Korean culture, there's a deep-rooted expectation for children to support their parents financially, especially in old age. In this sense, giving cash is seen not just as a gift but as a form of ongoing responsibility and respect,' sociology professor Koo Jeong-woo from Sungkyunkwan University told The Korea Herald. 'Cash is seen as a safe and thoughtful gift in Korea, as it lets parents choose what they truly need and minimizes the risk of buying the wrong gift.'
Cash gifts with a side of fun
Even when it comes to gifting cash, Koreans have found entertaining ways to present the gift: The money is not handed out in a blank, white envelope but is often given with an element of surprise.
Searching 'Parents' Day Gifts' on search engines like Naver shows results such as 'money boxes,' 'money bouquets,' 'money sitting mats' and even 'money cakes.' These products, often disguised to look nothing like what one would consider a cash gift, reveal large amounts of cash when opened.
Jang Yu-jin, a 29-year-old office worker, recalled giving a money box to her grandparents for Parents' Day in 2024. The box, filled with soap flowers, held a commemorative card inside. Pull the card, and along with it comes a seemingly endless roll of cash.
'After I got employed for the first time last year, I wanted to gift something special to my grandparents, who raised me like their own child since I was very little,' Jang told The Korea Herald. 'But I wanted to give more than a simple money envelope, so I gave them this money box I found online. I still remember how excited they looked pulling out all that money.'
For those who wish to give cash gifts in an envelope, special envelopes that release confetti when opened have also recently gone viral.
'Korean gift culture is evolving. Younger generations are putting a playful twist on traditional forms of filial duty,' professor Koo added. 'Nowadays, it's not just about handing over large amounts of cash but rather gifts that show thoughtfulness, effort and humor — and in this case, we can say the presentation of such gifts fulfills that role.'
Stress of not giving 'enough'
Though Koreans have found a way to entertain their parents and loved ones with interesting gifts, many say that they still feel stressed when thinking about this commemorative day — not because they don't know what to get, but because they worry that it will be 'too little compared to others.'
Kim Young-seo, 32, said that she gave her mother a mood light filled with preserved flowers for Parents' Day last year, which 'was a huge hit.' But she soon found herself worrying about whether she was doing enough for her parents.
"They did so much for me growing up, and I don't want to make it feel like they're getting any less compared to someone else they know,' said Kim. Though the mood light went over well last year, this year, Kim resolved to give her mother a modest amount of cash within her budget. After hearing what her coworkers were doing for Parents' Day, she raised the amount accordingly.
'I felt like I was the only one giving that little to my parents,' Kim added. 'You keep hearing about how much others are spending, and it makes it difficult for me to cut back even when my budget is tight. While I like celebrating this special day with my parents, I find that it's also one of those days in the year that gives me a significant amount of stress.'
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