[기사요약] 5월 가정의 달이 다가오면서 부모님 혹은 시댁 어른께 어떤 선물을 준비해야 할지 사람들의 고민도 깊어지고 있다. 시대가 변하면서 명절이나 생일 같이 특별한 날에 주는 선물의 트렌드도 바뀌었지만 여전히 대다수의 어른들이 꼽는 선물 리스트 1위는 현금이다. 이런 현금 문화가 한국 사회 전반적으로 어떻게 자리 잡혔는지 살펴보자. 


Cash the ultimate gift for Koreans


[1] Thirty-year-old web designer Kim Jung-wan recently gave 300,000 won ($290) to her close friend for her wedding.

*Give something for:  Give something as a birthday gift. Give something as a wedding gift


[2] “I would normally give about 50,000 won at most weddings, but she is a dear childhood friend of mine, which is why I decided to shell out some more,” said Kim.

*Dear: 소중한, 아끼는 (dear friend, dear life)
*Shell out: (거액의 돈을) 들이다, 붓다


[3] Giving gifts for special occasions is a universal practice. In Korea, giving money is not considered any more unusual than buying someone household items or a nice bottle of wine. It is perceived that the fatter the envelope is, the bigger the appreciation.
*Universal practice: 전세계적으로 행해지는 행위
*Any more unusual: ~와 다를 것이 없다. 비슷하다
*Perceived: 인식되다
*Appreciation: 성의, 감사, 마음


[4] It is especially common to give monetary gifts to parents, parents-in-law and other elders on birthdays or Parents’ Day, but even more so for the Chuseok or Seollal holidays.

*Monetary gift 현금 선물
*Parents-in-law 시부모 (brother-in-law, sister-in-law)


[5] On certain occasions, while money is not only the preferred gift, it would be socially unacceptable to offer anything else.


[6] One example is the bereavement pay that is extended at funerals. The chief purpose is to help cover expenses, and it is directly in line with the custom of “품앗이,” referring to the helping hand people would offer to their neighbors in the busier farming seasons.

*Bereavement: 상, 사망  (Bereaved families)
*Extend: 주다 (offer)
*In line with: ~와 관련있는
*Helping hand: 도움, 지지


[7] There are some cases where people have come to prefer money over presents, such as babies’ first birthdays, known as “dol” celebrations.
*Prefer ~ over~: ~보다 ~를 선호하다 


[8] In the past, a gold ring for the baby was the right gift to send, but that tradition appeared to fade when gold prices skyrocketed a few years ago.

*Fade: 서서히 사라지다
*Skyrocket: 급등하다


[9] Since then, guests have opted to give cash.

*Opt to: ~하기로 선택하다 (decide to)


[10]  “It’s different from baby showers in the West where they bring clothes and books or anything else they feel the baby would enjoy. It’s more practical, I think, to send money because then the parents can buy whatever they wish for their kids and not have to return anything,” said Lim Yoo-sun, a 38-year-old mother of two young boys. 


[11] Wedding gifts are also given in similar mindsets.

*Mindset: 사고방식


[10] At almost any wedding ceremony in Korea, there are, more often than not, tables placed at the entrance where guests can give envelopes of money and write down their names in the guest book in exchange for a meal ticket.

*More often than not: 대개, 자주
*In exchange for: ~대신


[11] The record, though meant partly to keep track of the visitors who attended the wedding, can also more or less be used to log those who have contributed.
*More or less: 어느정도


기사전문: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20140430001289

팟캐스트: https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2

팟빵: http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638