'Sold Out Early' Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates, Additional 50 Billion KRW Sold in 18 Districts

Sale Resumes on the 20th for 1.5 to 3.5 Billion KRW Properties in Gwangjin and Yongsan Districts
ZeroPay Merchant Stores Increase by 48,000 in Two Months

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The discounted sale of the 'Seoul Sarang Gift Certificate,' which had been suspended due to sold-out stock, will resume in 18 Seoul autonomous districts starting from the 20th.

On the 18th, Seoul City announced that it will additionally sell 50 billion KRW worth of mobile 'Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates,' issued by each autonomous district, at a 10% discounted price to promote consumption in local markets and increase sales for small business owners.

The sales areas include 18 districts: Gwangjin, Nowon, Mapo, Songpa, Yongsan, Dongdaemun, Seongbuk, Gangbuk, Dobong, Eunpyeong, Seodaemun, Dongjak, Seocho, Seongdong, Jungnang, Yangcheon, Geumcheon, and Gwanak. These districts had initially sold out their allocated certificates early, leading to a suspension of sales.

The additional sales amount ranges from 1.5 billion to 3.5 billion KRW per district, with Seoul City securing a total budget of 50 billion KRW through the second supplementary budget for COVID-19.

The Seoul Sarang Gift Certificate can be purchased via apps that support Zero Pay and used for payments at Zero Pay affiliated stores within the region. However, large-scale stores and gambling-related businesses are excluded.

The city explained that due to the recent impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), citizens' interest in 'untact' (contactless) consumption has increased, and as the Seoul Sarang Gift Certificate became usable at various places such as academies, restaurants, neighborhood marts, and convenience stores, there has been continuous demand for additional issuance.

It was also analyzed that the increase in new affiliated stores was partly due to many citizens receiving the 'Seoul City Emergency Disaster Living Expenses' in the form of Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates.

The number of Zero Pay affiliated stores accepting Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates has increased by 48,000 in the past two months, from the existing 177,000 to 226,000. This accounts for about 44% compared to the 515,000 credit card affiliated stores in the Seoul area.

Starting from the 25th, the gift certificates will be usable on payment apps such as 'Fint,' and from the 28th on 'PAYCO,' increasing the number of compatible payment apps to 11.

Earlier, on March 23, Seoul City began selling Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates at a 15% discount as part of the 'COVID-19 Emergency Economic Measures.' When the initially planned 38 billion KRW sold out in ten days, an additional 80 billion KRW worth of certificates was allocated, which also sold out within a week.

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