Sep 26, 2026
Click here for more articles by Kormedi.com. While many people look forward to the Chuseok holiday, some worry about what they will see on the scale, with generous servings of "jeon," or pan-fried battered dishes, braised short ribs, "japchae," or stir-fried glass noodles, and "songpyeon," or half-moon-shaped rice cakes, at every meal having long been a usual sight during family gatherings. But an expert advised against extreme approaches to weight management. “There is no need to repeatedly adjust your weight by fasting before and after the holiday, either to avoid Chuseok food staples altogether or out of guilt over eating too much,” Kwon Young-geun, a professor at the Obesity and Metabolism Center at Korea University Anam Hospital, said in an interview on Wednesday, ahead of the Chuseok holiday. “The priority is to naturally return to your usual eating and activity patterns after the holiday.” During the holiday, people tend to eat more carbohydrates and salty food than usual. When carbohydrate intake is high, excess glucose is stored in the liver and muscles in the form of gly