{"id":384214,"date":"2026-04-06T05:23:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T05:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/384214\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T05:23:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T05:23:26","slug":"koreans-turn-to-cheaper-alternatives-stockpile-essentials-as-living-costs-rise-due-to-middle-east-conflict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/384214\/","title":{"rendered":"Koreans turn to cheaper alternatives, stockpile essentials as living costs rise due to Middle East conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"An <\/p>\n

An employee promotes a discount event for cleaning products at a Lotte Mart store in Seoul on March 3. [YONHAP]<\/p>\n

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The Iran war is
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One everyday chore that recently became a luxury is laundry.
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\u201cI was surprised when I heard it would cost 30,000 to 40,000 won [$20 to $26] to dry-clean a single winter coat,\u201d said Lee, a resident of Gangnam District, southern Seoul. Lee decided to buy home dry-cleaning detergent from an online shopping mall instead.
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\u201cI still take coats to the cleaners, but I have decided to wash shirts and sweaters at home,\u201d Lee said. \u201cI bought two bottles of home dry-cleaning detergent and sent one to my parents.\u201d
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Following the start of the Middle East conflict, rising prices for petrochemical materials such as naphtha \u2014 a petroleum-based raw material used to make plastics and other goods \u2014 and a weakening won have pushed up import costs and added to the burden on households.\u00a0
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As a result, laundry costs have risen as prices for organic solvents used in dry-cleaning products \u2014 which are derived from petroleum \u2014 did the same, raising concerns over supply disruptions.
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\u201cThe price of cleaning solvent, which used to cost around 30,000 won for 20 liters [5.3 gallons], recently rose to 50,000 won,\u201d said a laundry shop owner surnamed Kim in Gangseo District, western Seoul. \u201cEverything from plastic covers to hangers has become more expensive.\u201d
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Consumers have shared similar experiences on social media.\u00a0
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A laundry shop owner operates a dry-cleaning machine at the shop in Seoul on April 19, 2023. [NEWS1]<\/p>\n

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\u201cI took 11 winter coats […] to the cleaners, and they asked for 280,000 won,\u201d one user wrote. \u201cThey said it costs more because of the fur on the hoods, so I just brought them back home to wash myself.\u201d
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\nTurning to cheaper options\u00a0
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More consumers are also seeking cheaper dining options. People have begun to use a \u201cbeggar map\u201d (translated), an online map listing restaurants where meals cost less than 10,000 won.\u00a0
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Pedestrians walk past a restaurant in Myeongdong, central Seoul, on April 5. [NEWS1]<\/p>\n

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The term \u201cbeggar\u201d is often used in online communities, as seen with \u201cbeggar chat rooms\u201d (translated), through which users share tips on saving money.
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\u201cI often notice how much prices have risen compared to a few years ago when I eat out,\u201d Choi Sung-su, the developer of the beggar map, said. \u201cI thought that people who want to save money need a platform through which they can find information on multiple restaurants at once.
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\u201cThe map drew more than 500,000 visitors within two weeks of its launch and received over 5,000 restaurant submissions. People in their 20s and 30s make up most of our users.\u201d\u00a0
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\nStockpiling essentials\u00a0
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Some consumers have also begun stockpiling daily necessities due to concerns about supply disruptions.\u00a0
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\u201cI bought bottled water, plastic bags, wet wipes, dish detergent and zipper bags,\u201d one user wrote online. \u201cWhat else should I stock up on? This war is driving me crazy.\u201d\u00a0
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Another user wrote, \u201cI stocked up on everything except trash bags \u2014 toilet paper, detergent, zipper bags and disposable gloves.\u201d
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A notice announcing a shortage of trash bags is posted at a supermarket in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, on March 31. [NEWS1]<\/p>\n

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Individual investors who have lost money \u2014 due to stock market volatility \u2014 are also tightening their spending.\u00a0
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\u201cI lost about 7 million won after the situation triggered volatility in the stock market,\u201d a worker surnamed Jang said. \u201cI now eat all my meals at the company cafeteria and avoid social gatherings that involve drinking to save money.\u201d\u00a0
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Another investor shared a similar experience.\u00a0
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\u201cI started investing after seeing semiconductor stocks rise at the beginning of the year, but then the war broke out,\u201d a cram schoolteacher surnamed Kim said. \u201cI have already lost more than 1 million won in a month. On weekends, I sometimes eat only instant noodles to save money.\u201d
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\nOil prices drive inflation\u00a0
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Rising oil prices have already begun to push up consumer inflation. Consumer prices rose 2.2 percent on year last month, and petroleum product prices jumped 9.9 percent, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.\u00a0
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A gas station is seen in Seoul on April 5. [NEWS1] <\/p>\n

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The average monthly price of Dubai crude rose from $68.4 per barrel in February to $128.5 per barrel last month, an increase of 87.9 percent, according to the Korea National Oil Corporation.
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\u201cIf tensions in the Middle East restrict crude oil supply, prices for various products will inevitably rise under market principles,\u201d said Kim Sang-bong, an economics professor at Hansung University.
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\u201cIn the end, consumers and small business owners will have to pay higher costs. For now, the supply of petroleum products remains stable. But if the situation drags on, the government should adopt more flexible tax policies and diversify import sources to secure alternatives.\u201d <\/p>\n

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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BY OH SAM-GWON, LEE GYU-RIM AND HAN CHAN-WOO [[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An employee promotes a discount event for cleaning products at a Lotte Mart store in Seoul on March…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384215,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[72,113,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-384214","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-economy","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384214\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}