Incheon Expands "1,000-Won Courier" Collection Centers for Small Businesses to 60 Subway Stations

640,000 Deliveries and 6,600 Businesses Participated in One Year
Incheon Raises Courier Subsidy from 1,000 Won to 1,500 Won

Incheon City is expanding its courier service network, which offers local small business owners delivery services at half the standard market price.

On the 15th, the city announced its plan to increase the number of half-price courier collection centers, currently operating at 30 stations on Incheon Subway Lines 1 and 2, to a total of 60 stations starting next month.

Earlier, in July, the city raised the courier support subsidy from 1,000 won to 1,500 won and changed the project name to "1,000-Won Courier."

In October last year, Yoo Jung-bok, Mayor of Incheon, sent the first half-price courier package at the opening event of the 'Small Business Half-Price Courier Support Project' held at Incheon City Hall Station on Incheon Subway Line 1. 2024.10.28 Provided by Incheon City

According to preliminary figures, Incheon City's "Half-Price Courier for Small Business Owners" project, which was launched for the first time in Korea in October last year, has recorded a cumulative total of 640,000 uses and 6,600 participating businesses within its first year of operation.

Through this project, small business owners can ship items for as low as 1,000 won if they bring their packages directly to subway station collection centers within Incheon, and for 2,000 won if the packages are picked up from their business locations. The city analyzed that small business owners using the half-price courier service saved an average of 2,500 won per delivery.

Furthermore, a survey conducted in March showed that the average sales of participating small businesses increased by approximately 13.9% compared to before the implementation of the half-price courier service, indicating that the project has contributed to business stability and enhanced competitiveness for small business owners.

The city expects that the 1,000-Won Courier project will have positive ripple effects throughout the local community, going beyond simple logistics cost reductions. By hiring local workers, including through senior workforce centers, during the operation of collection centers, the project creates jobs for seniors. Additionally, by establishing a reasonable logistics cost environment, the initiative is anticipated to attract small business owners from other regions to Incheon, thereby having a positive impact on the local economy.

Yoo Jung-bok, Mayor of Incheon, stated, "The 1,000-Won Courier is the nation’s first model to enhance the competitiveness of small businesses and is a policy that contributes to local job creation and the inflow of population and companies. It is establishing itself as an innovative Incheon-style urban logistics model, going beyond merely reducing courier costs."

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