What's With the SPAM? How Korean Holiday Gifts and Chuseok/Seollal Bonuses Actually Work at a Korean Company Abroad

Picture this. It's late September in Atlanta. You've been working at the US branch of a Korean automotive supplier for about eight months. Your Korean manager walks over to your desk, hands you a heavy, festive-looking box wrapped in a giant ribbon, smiles politely, and says, "Happy Chuseok." You smile back. You say thank you. You wait until lunch. You open it.

It's SPAM. Like, a lot of SPAM. Plus some cooking oil, maybe tuna, maybe a tube of toothpaste. And there's also a small bonus that hit your paycheck — not life-changing, but unexpected. You sit there holding twelve cans of processed pork wondering: Is this a joke? Is this a test? Am I supposed to give him something back? Did I just get demoted in canned-meat form?

You did not. Welcome to 명절 (myeongjeol) at a Korean company. Let's break down what's actually happening.

A quick crash course on Chuseok and Seollal (명절)

Korea has two huge traditional holidays — the kind that empty out cities, jam highways, and stop the entire country for several days.

• Seollal (설날) is Korean Lunar New Year, usually late January or February. Family-focused, ancestor rituals, tteokguk (rice cake soup), and a fresh start to the year.
• Chuseok (추석) is Korean Thanksgiving / Mid-Autumn Festival, usually September or October. Family-focused, ancestor rituals, songpyeon (rice cakes), and harvest gratitude.

These two are referred to collectively as 명절, "the holidays" with a capital H. At a Korean company — even an overseas branch — they matter culturally even if you, the local hire, don't celebrate them. That cultural weight is exactly why your manager handed you SPAM.

The famous SPAM gift set — and what it actually means

Here's the part nobody tells you. In Korea, giving a 명절 gift set (명절 선물세트) is a deeply normal corporate ritual. Companies give gifts to employees. Employees give gifts to in-laws. Clients give gifts to vendors. It's everywhere. And one of the most iconic, beloved gift sets is — yes — a beautifully boxed assortment of SPAM, tuna, and cooking oil from CJ or Dongwon.

To Western ears this sounds absurd. To Koreans, it's premium, practical, slightly nostalgic, and a sign that someone is thinking about feeding your family. SPAM in Korea is not a joke food. It's a respectable pantry staple, a dish at family gatherings, and during the Korean War / postwar era it became associated with abundance and care. The gift set says: I want your household to eat well during the holiday.

So when your Korean employer's overseas branch hands you SPAM, fruit, cooking oil, or hand-cream sets, the message is: You are part of the company family, and we wish your household well for the holiday. It is not a prank. It is not cheap. The deluxe SPAM gift sets in Korea can run $50–$150 USD equivalent.

If you want more cultural background on these kinds of unspoken-but-important Korean workplace customs, HangulJobs has a growing library — including a guide to hoesik (회식) team dinner culture that pairs nicely with this one.

The 명절 bonus (보너스 / 상여금) — what to expect, when, and how much

Now the money part. Many Korean companies — including their overseas branches — pay a 명절 bonus, called 명절 보너스 or 명절 상여금, twice a year: once before Seollal, once before Chuseok.

What's "normal" varies wildly:

• Headquarters in Korea: Often 50–100% of monthly base salary per holiday, sometimes more at chaebols, sometimes a flat amount at smaller firms.
• Overseas branch (US/UK/Australia): Frequently smaller and less standardized. You might see a flat $200–$1,000 bonus, or a token $100 gift card, or sometimes nothing at all if local HR has restructured the package into your base salary.
• Timing: Usually in the paycheck the week before the holiday, or as a separate deposit a few days prior.

Why so much variation abroad? Because in Korea, the 명절 bonus is sometimes contractually guaranteed and sometimes discretionary, and overseas branches often "convert" the Korean concept into something that fits local payroll norms. If you got a small one and a colleague at HQ in Seoul got a much bigger one, that's not personal — it's structural. (For more on how Korean compensation gets reshaped abroad, see our piece on how to ask about stock options at a Korean company.)

A small Chuseok bonus + a SPAM box is not a slight. It's the local-branch version of a very old tradition.

Do you have to give a gift back?

Short answer: no, not to your boss. Longer answer: it depends on direction and rank.

• Boss → you: No reciprocation expected. A sincere thank-you, ideally in person or via a short message ("Thank you for the Chuseok gift, my family really appreciated it"), is plenty. Bonus points for mentioning that you actually used the SPAM.
• You → your boss: Generally not expected, and in many cases (especially at US branches with strict gift policies) actively discouraged. Don't try to one-up them.
• Peer → peer: Optional. A small gesture — homemade cookies, a coffee run, a card — is sweet but not required.
• You → Korean clients you work closely with: Ask your manager first. This is where 명절 gifting can actually matter for business relationships, but it should be coordinated, not freelanced.

The golden rule: receive graciously, thank specifically, do not escalate.

Common mistakes foreign employees make around 명절

A short, painful list:

1. Laughing at the SPAM in front of the Korean staff. Don't. It's a real, respectable gift. Thank them like you would for any thoughtful present.
2. Throwing the gift box in the office trash. Take it home. Even if you don't eat SPAM, regift, donate, or share it.
3. Asking "where's my bonus?" loudly. If you didn't get one and expected one, ask HR privately and politely. Phrase it as a clarification, not a complaint.
4. Comparing bonuses publicly with HQ colleagues. Different countries, different payroll structures. Public comparisons create awkwardness with no upside.
5. Working through the holiday and bragging about it. Your Korean colleagues (especially senior ones) may quietly find this disrespectful, even if local HR says it's fine. At minimum, don't email Korea-side teammates during 명절.
6. Assuming silence = nothing is happening. If your branch is small or new, the holiday may pass quietly. That doesn't mean it's not noticed. A simple "Happy Chuseok / 추석 잘 보내세요" to your Korean teammates goes a long way.

These soft norms work the same way other unwritten Korean workplace conventions do — for example, how 경조사 (gyeongjosa) family event leave works. Knowing the cultural shape of the gesture is what matters.

FAQ

Q: I got a SPAM gift set but no bonus. Is that normal?
A: Yes, especially at smaller overseas branches or newer entities. The gift set is the symbolic part; the cash bonus is the structural part, and the structural part often gets absorbed into base salary or annual bonus locally. If you're unsure whether a 명절 bonus is part of your compensation, ask HR — calmly, once, in writing.

Q: Should I send my Korean manager a Chuseok or Seollal message?
A: Yes, and it's appreciated. Something like "Happy Chuseok — wishing you and your family a great holiday" via Slack, email, or KakaoTalk is more than enough. You don't need to write it in Korean, but "추석 잘 보내세요" or "새해 복 많이 받으세요" earns goodwill.

Q: Can I decline the gift if I don't eat pork / don't want it?
A: Try not to refuse it outright — that reads as rejecting the relationship. Accept it, thank them, and quietly regift, donate, or pass it to a coworker. The gift is the gesture; what physically happens to the SPAM afterward is your business.

The bottom line: a SPAM box and a modest Chuseok bonus from your Korean employer's overseas branch isn't weird, isn't an insult, and isn't a test. It's a small, sincere version of a very big Korean tradition — translated, sometimes clumsily, into your local office. Receive it with warmth, say thank you specifically, and you've handled 명절 like a pro.