‘Transportation Card-Embedded Pohang Sarang Card’ Launched to Enhance Citizen Convenience

Life-Oriented Evolution ... Accelerating Stable Local Currency Policies

Pohang City Hall.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Pohang City, Gyeongbuk Province, has launched a new design of the Pohang Sarang Card equipped with a transportation card and will issue an additional 5 billion KRW worth of Pohang Sarang Cards on the 21st.

This upgraded Pohang Sarang Card, released through a partnership between T-money and Pohang City, is attracting special attention from local residents as a new economic stimulus anticipating the recovery of daily life.

With the release of the Pohang Sarang Card embedded with the T-money transportation card, citizens will no longer need to carry a separate transportation card, as a single Pohang Sarang Card will secure free transportation rights, thereby enhancing user convenience.

However, transportation card charging is not linked to the Pohang Sarang Card balance or the charging account, so it can be done through existing transportation card charging methods (convenience stores, T-money charging stations, T-money website/app).

The city plans to issue an additional 5 billion KRW to commemorate the launch of the transportation card, and citizens who were unable to charge their Pohang Sarang Cards earlier this month can charge them from midnight on the 21st via the ‘IM# app’.

Issuance of the Pohang Sarang Card with the transportation card function will be available from July 1, and any citizen aged 14 or older can visit a Daegu Bank branch located in Pohang to apply for a new card or replacement. However, purchase and usage registration are limited to one card per person, so users should choose according to their transportation function needs.

In response to citizens’ requests to provide the same purchasing opportunity earlier this month, Pohang City attempted simultaneous online and offline openings of the Pohang Sarang Card, but unexpected transaction volume surges and system access delays caused inconvenience.

After expanding system resources, starting in July, online charging via the IM# app will be available from midnight at the beginning of each month as originally planned, and offline charging (visiting Daegu Bank) will be distributed by allowing visits during the opening hours of the first business day of each month.

Mayor Kang-deok Lee of Pohang said, “The surge in simultaneous transactions on the Pohang Sarang Card charging app (IM# app) earlier this month made us once again feel the high interest of citizens in the Pohang Sarang Card,” and added, “In the second half of the year, we will accelerate stable local currency support policies that meet the expectations of local residents through various advanced developments of the local currency.”

Since its first issuance in January 2017, the cumulative issuance amount of the Pohang Sarang Gift Certificate has reached 1.62 trillion KRW this year, playing a solid foundational role in strengthening the independence of local small business owners and self-employed people. It has shown remarkable results even amid the economic crisis for ordinary citizens through the establishment of an independent Pohang Sarang Gift Certificate operation system, proactive analysis, and various revitalization policies.

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