Naju City to Launch 'Naju Sarang Card' Starting Next Month on the 1st

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Kang In-gyu) announced on the 31st that it will launch the ‘Naju Sarang Card,’ a card-type local currency that complements the drawbacks of paper-type gift certificates, starting from the 1st of next month.

Through this, the city became the ‘first local government to issue card gift certificates’ by the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation.

Earlier, in June and last month, the city signed business agreements with the Minting Corporation and NH Nonghyup Bank Jeonnam Sales Headquarters, respectively, and has been working to enhance trust and security and establish a user convenience system for the issuance and activation of card gift certificates.

The Naju Sarang Card can be issued by adults aged 19 or older without residency restrictions by applying online using the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation app ‘Local Gift Certificate chak’ or by visiting local Nonghyup or post offices and choosing either Nonghyup or Shinhan Card.

It operates as a check card that can be used according to the charged amount, and users can conveniently charge and check usage details through the app.

The monthly limit per person is 700,000 KRW, the same as the existing gift certificates, and a 10% discount on the charged amount and a 30% income deduction benefit are also applied.

The city expects that the issuance of this card gift certificate will greatly expand the user base, including public institution employees, office workers, and young people, who had relatively low preference for paper-type gift certificates.

In particular, it is expected to prevent ‘illegal distribution of gift certificates,’ which has been pointed out as a drawback of paper-type gift certificates, as well as reduce issuance and sales costs, exchange fees, improve portability, and simplify sales agency operations.

Mayor Kang In-gyu said, “The Naju Sarang Card, with a goal of issuing 10 billion KRW this year, will greatly help revitalize the local economy struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic,” and added, “We hope citizens actively participate in the good consumption movement by using the convenient Naju Sarang Card, from issuance to charging, balance checking, and usage inquiry.”

Meanwhile, as of this month, the distribution amount of the Naju Sarang Gift Certificate this year totaled 55.2 billion KRW, including 23 billion KRW from general sales through sales agencies and 32.2 billion KRW from policy funds such as COVID-19 disaster relief funds.

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