Easter eggs may disappear from South Korea due to prohibitive price
Consumers in South Korea hesitate to bulk-buy eggs over concerns that this would cause a further price hike since the avian influenza outbreak
By Park Jae-hyuk
The custom of giving decorated eggs as gifts for neighbours in South Korea will likely not be as popular this weekend on Easter Sunday at most Catholic and Protestant churches in South Korea due to economic reasons.
Due to a price hike led by an avian influenza outbreak over the past few months, Myeongdong Cathedral in downtown Seoul and most other churches said they have decided to give flowers and rice cakes to their neighbours, instead of giving thousands of eggs as they usually do.
The churches have been concerned that their bulk purchases of eggs might end up causing a further rise in egg prices, thus troubling consumers who are already suffering from rocketing egg prices.
Following the moves, large discount chains and online marketplaces in South Korea, which in previous years offered discounts to boost sales of eggs ahead of Easter, also remain reluctant to hold promotional events for eggs this time.
Given the shortage of eggs after decreases in the number of chickens, retailers expected egg prices will not fall by the end of this year.
