Having Lunch in Korea Gets Expensive By the Month

It costs more and more to eat out in Korea.
According to Statistics Korea Monday, the country's staple dish bibimbap comes at a price of nearly six thousand won or about five US dollars while the popular Jajangmyeon costs about 3 and a half dollars on average.
All popular menus have increased about one percentage point from three months earlier by about 100 won or 9 cents.
However, these numbers only represent the average nationwide.
In metropolitan areas, people have to spend up to 6 dollars for even simple lunch menus, like soy-bean stews.

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[Interview : Shin Kyung-sub, Office worker] "It costs about five to six dollars for a meal, which seem expensive to me.
But all places charge about the same, so we don't really have an option".

[Interview : Park Ki-nam, Office worker] "The salary stays the same, but all the other prices keep on going up.
I spend about 130 dollars a month for lunch".

The prices of most dishes rise mainly due to the increase in prices of ingredients and partly because restaurant owners do not lower the prices once they have gone up.
And the higher price tag comes as a bigger stress for those who do not make money.

[Interview : Kim Ji-young, Student] "As a student, five dollar meals aren't easy to afford without an income.
I think it's reasonable to pay four dollars for one meal".

As a result, those with a tighter budget are forced to seek alternatives.

[Reporter : Song Ji-sun
song@arirang.co.kr] "As a decent lunch at a restaurant burdens their budget, many people head to convenience stores instead to have lunch at a cheaper price".

The stores provide a variety of choices from sandwiches and rolls to lunchboxes and even tables for a quick yet convenient meal.

[Interview : Kwon Young-june, Student] "I would need five to six dollars to eat at a restaurant here in Gangnam, but I only need just as half -- about 3 dollars for a meal".

With an increasing demand by the day, lunchbox sales at Korea's major convenience stores grew by nearly double in 2011.
Although the government stated that prices will stabilize this year, people are finding other ways to have their meals outside as menus in restaurants are showing no signs of getting cheaper any time soon.
Song Ji-sun, Arirang News.