Government Emergency Disaster Relief Fund to Block Transactions on Junggonara ... "Prohibition of Illegal Distribution"

Crackdown on Discriminatory Transactions Against Franchisees

The government's emergency disaster relief fund credit and debit card recharge application began at 7 a.m. on the 11th through the websites of nine card companies. Similar to the public mask 5-day rotation system, the application follows a day-of-the-week system, and from the 16th, applications can be made at any time. The support amounts are 400,000 KRW for single-person households, 600,000 KRW for two-person households, 800,000 KRW for three-person households, and 1,000,000 KRW for households of four or more. The photo shows a citizen in Jongno-gu, Seoul, applying for the support fund that day. Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As the distribution of emergency disaster relief funds intensifies, the government has launched efforts to eradicate various fraudulent distribution activities to ensure that the support funds are used in the market according to their original policy purpose.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 12th that it will cooperate with major online secondhand trading platforms such as Junggonara, Bungaejangter, Danggeun Market, and Hello Market to post notices prohibiting the resale of emergency disaster relief funds until the end of August, set restrictions on specific search terms such as emergency disaster relief funds, gift certificates, and local currency, delete posts, and revoke membership qualifications if transactions are detected.

Each local government plans to prepare cooperation measures to prevent emergency disaster relief fund transactions from occurring in major online communities within their regions and will monitor and crack down on online transactions.

If a merchant refuses payment or treats users unfairly when using emergency disaster relief funds, they will be punished according to relevant laws. If a merchant refuses credit or prepaid card payments or treats users unfairly, or if the merchant forces card users to bear the merchant fees, they may face imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million won.

If payment with local love gift certificates is refused or holders are treated unfairly, the head of the local government may cancel the merchant’s registration.

Merchants who conduct merchant business without registration, receive or exchange gift certificates without providing goods or services, or receive or exchange gift certificates for amounts exceeding the actual transaction amount, as well as exchange agencies that exchange for non-merchants, will be fined up to 20 million won.

The government will also establish a 'Discriminatory Transaction and Fraudulent Distribution Reporting Center' and conduct report reception and comprehensive crackdowns until August 31, when the use of emergency disaster relief funds ends.

Ko Gyu-chang, Director of the Local Finance and Economy Office at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, “We ask the public to cooperate so that the emergency disaster relief funds are used well for their original purpose and can help overcome the crisis caused by COVID-19,” adding, “We hope that merchants will not be tempted by small immediate profits to commit illegal acts such as unjustly refusing emergency disaster relief fund payments or demanding extra charges.”

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