Surpassing 100 Billion Won Two Years After Launch, 'Hyojason'... Yeongju City Introduces New Card-Type 'Yeongju Love Gift Certificate'

Expansion of Card Issuance from Existing NH Nonghyup Card to Post Office and Saemaeul Geumgo

Card-type Yeongju Love Gift Certificate.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwi-yeol] A new card-type ‘Yeongju Love Gift Certificate’ jointly issued by the post office and Saemaeul Geumgo has been launched in Yeongju City, Gyeongbuk.

Yeongju City announced on the 21st that the card-type Yeongju Love Gift Certificate, which was previously only available through NH Nonghyup Card, can now be issued at the post office and Saemaeul Geumgo as well, following a business agreement starting from the 17th.

The expansion of issuance of the card-type Yeongju Love Gift Certificate has made it more convenient for citizens and broadened their choices.

Yeongju City expects this to encourage local consumption and revitalize neighborhood markets such as small business owners and self-employed merchants. Additionally, it hopes to reduce issuance costs associated with paper gift certificates, thereby achieving budget savings.

The newly released card was designed with images of Buseoksa Temple and Sosu Seowon, Yeongju’s representative cultural heritage sites and UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, enhancing its symbolism as a local gift certificate.

The card-type gift certificate is a rechargeable check card available to anyone aged 19 or older, who can issue and recharge it via a smartphone app. For customers unable to use mobile services, offline issuance and recharging are also available at local Nonghyup, Livestock Cooperatives, post offices, and Saemaeul Geumgo branches within Yeongju.

If the card gift certificate is used at non-affiliated stores or outside Yeongju City, the amount will be withdrawn from the linked card payment account, not from the gift certificate balance. Besides its gift certificate function, it can be used as a regular check card and offers income deduction benefits similar to check cards during year-end tax settlements.

Jang Wook-hyun, Mayor of Yeongju City, said, “I hope that the additional issuance of Yeongju Love Gift Certificates will benefit both citizens and small business owners.”

Since its launch in 2019, the Yeongju Love Gift Certificate has recorded sales of approximately 117 billion KRW as of the end of November this year, showing its role in revitalizing the local market.

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