Gokseong-gun Attempts Major Transformation on 20th Anniversary of Simcheong Gift Certificate Issuance

Various Events Including 10% Discount Held Alongside Mobile Gift Certificate Introduction

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] The Simcheong Gift Certificate in Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do, is celebrating its 20th anniversary since issuance by increasing the discount rate, making usage more convenient, and attempting new changes to achieve the goal of making both residents and small business owners happy.

According to Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do, on the 14th, the Simcheong Gift Certificate was first issued in September 2001 to revitalize the local commercial district. Initially, the issuance volume increased, but after reaching 1.2 billion KRW in December 2014, it gradually decreased each year, with about 1.09 billion KRW sold in 2017.

To address this decline, since 2018, Gokseong-gun raised the train village admission fee from 3,000 KRW to 5,000 KRW and returned 2,000 KRW in Simcheong Gift Certificates. As a result, sales surged by about 150%, marking a turning point with annual sales reaching 2.7 billion KRW.

This transformation of the Simcheong Gift Certificate continues this year as well. By building on past achievements, the goal is to firmly establish a local virtuous cycle economy.

First, the discount rate has been significantly increased. Until now, consumers purchased gift certificates at a 1% discount. For example, a 10,000 KRW face value gift certificate was purchased for 9,900 KRW. The discount rate was insufficient for residents to benefit.

Starting this year, the discount rate has been raised to 5%. Especially, from January to February, to commemorate the launch of the mobile gift certificate, both paper and mobile gift certificates will be offered at a 10% discount. The county expects this special discount to help residents' household finances ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday and lead to increased sales in local stores.

For the first time in the province, a mobile Simcheong Gift Certificate has been issued. Linked with Zero Pay developed by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, gift certificates can be conveniently purchased through bank or simple payment apps. Merchants can exchange certificates without visiting banks, and users can use the mobile Simcheong Gift Certificate at local Zero Pay affiliated stores.

In particular, when using the mobile gift certificate, consumers can receive a 30% income deduction benefit during year-end tax settlement. Also, since the payment fee is completely free, it greatly helps reduce income tax burdens for small business owners.

Until February 29, a launch event for the mobile Gokseong Simcheong Gift Certificate is being held. Those who make payments with the mobile gift certificate three or more times per month will receive 5,000 KRW in mobile gift certificates, and even those who make one payment will be entered into a monthly draw where 50 people will receive two tickets to the Gokseong Small Cinema.

Additionally, those who pay more than 5,000 KRW per month will be entered into a draw to receive AirPods or mobile gift certificates monthly.

Along with these revitalization efforts, Gokseong-gun plans to distribute about 7.5 billion KRW worth of gift certificates this year, including public interest allowances for farmers and fishermen. Active promotion is underway to encourage purchase and use of the gift certificates among government offices, institutions, organizations, and local residents.

In particular, Gokseong-gun operates Simcheong Gift Certificate supporters who expand Zero Pay affiliation among existing paper gift certificate merchants and recruit new affiliated stores. They also visit businesses directly to educate on mobile gift certificate payment methods. Small business owners and self-employed individuals wishing to affiliate with the Simcheong Gift Certificate can apply for merchant designation by using visiting supporters, visiting town offices, or online.

Gokseong-gun expects that changes in the operation of the Simcheong Gift Certificate will increase usage rates among local residents and ultimately revitalize neighborhood commercial districts.

A county official stated, “We will do our best to secure Simcheong Gift Certificate and Zero Pay affiliated stores so that users do not experience inconvenience.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.