KRW 479 Billion 'Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates' to Be Issued with 10% Discount on Next Month 1st

Up to 700,000 KRW per person can be purchased via Seoul Pay Plus app
Easy use at 280,000 city affiliates...Download purchase app in advance for smooth buying

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 24th that it will issue 479 billion won worth of ‘Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates (Autonomous District)’ to somewhat ease the burden of grocery prices on citizens ahead of Chuseok. This is the second large-scale issuance this year following 393 billion won in January.

The Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates can be purchased at a 10% discount up to 700,000 won per person per month through five purchasing and payment apps including ‘Seoul Pay Plus’. They can only be used at affiliated stores within the issuing autonomous district; for example, the ‘Songpa Sarang Gift Certificate’ can only be used at affiliated stores in Songpa-gu. If the gift certificate is not used after purchase, it can be fully canceled regardless of the holding period, and if a partial amount has been used, a refund of the remaining balance is possible only if more than 60% of the held amount has been spent.

Furthermore, the Seoul Metropolitan Government urged consumers to download the Seoul Pay Plus app and register as members in advance before the day of issuance to purchase the gift certificates more quickly and conveniently. Registering at the time of issuance may cause delays or restrictions in processing due to system overload, etc.

Since its launch in January, the Seoul Sarang Gift Certificate purchase and payment platform ‘Seoul Pay Plus (+)’ has grown to be used by more than one million people. Currently, there are about 280,000 affiliated stores in Seoul where payments can be made using Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates. In the first half of this year, 21.5 billion won in policy funds, including youth employment incentives, were distributed to about 47,000 people through Seoul Pay Plus in the form of Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates. In the second half, 17.8 billion won in policy funds are planned to be distributed.

Meanwhile, to directly support citizens struggling with soaring prices and the local businesses that may be depressed as a result, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to additionally issue 100 billion won worth of 7% discounted Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates (Metropolitan) usable regardless of autonomous district in the second half of the year.

Kang Nam-tae, head of the Small Business Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, “We hurried to issue the gift certificates to help citizens who feel burdened by shopping for Chuseok ancestral rites,” adding, “We hope the gift certificates will revive the weakened consumer sentiment, help increase sales for small business owners in Seoul, and support the low-income economy suffering from rising prices.”

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