Gwangju Seo-gu's 'Alley Economy 119 Project' Saves 10 Billion Won in Residents' Living Expenses

Analysis of Onnuri Gift Certificate Distribution
Surpasses 52.4 Billion Won... Up to 20% Discounts Available Through Year-End

It has been found that the 'Alley Economy 119 Project' promoted by Seo-gu District in Gwangju has resulted in residents saving over 10 billion won in living expenses.

Gwangju Seo-gu's 'Alley Economy 119 Project' has resulted in residents saving over 10 billion won in living expenses. Provided by Gwangju Seo-gu

According to Seo-gu District on November 3, an analysis of Onnuri gift certificate distribution data from January to September this year, based on information from the Gwangju-Jeonnam Regional Office of SMEs and Startups, revealed that a total of 52.4 billion won worth of gift certificates were distributed within the district. This represents an increase of 48.8 billion won, approximately 13 times higher than the previous year.

In particular, the digital Onnuri gift certificates offered a basic 10% discount with every recharge, and an additional 10% payback event was held. As a result, residents were able to save a total of 10.5 billion won in actual spending.

Seo-gu District expects that if this trend continues until the end of the year, the cumulative savings will reach 20 billion won.

In addition, to revitalize local alley businesses and stimulate consumption, Seo-gu District will independently launch an additional 5% payback event from November 10, after the Korea Grand Festival, until the end of the year. This will allow residents to enjoy up to 20% in discount benefits.

The Onnuri gift certificate program is fully funded by the national government, which has drawn attention for helping residents reduce living expenses and boosting merchants' sales without any financial burden on the local government. As a result, Seo-gu District received the Minister of the Interior and Safety Award at the '2025 Korea Small Business Conference' held on October 31, hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and organized by the Small Enterprise and Market Service and the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise.

Earlier this year, Seo-gu District also received the Grand Prize from the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters and the Grand Prize at the 30th Korea Local Government Management Awards in succession.

Through the 'Alley Economy 119 Project,' Seo-gu District became the first in the country to designate all 18 administrative neighborhoods as alley-type shopping districts and significantly expanded the number of Onnuri gift certificate merchants. The district is making every effort to strengthen the self-sufficiency of local businesses and restore the livelihood economy.

In particular, Seo-gu District has established a 'local economy dashboard' in the district office, launched the 'Alley Economy 119 Phone' to receive merchants' opinions via text message, operates a rotating alley office in all 18 neighborhoods, and provides customized education for small business owners. Through these initiatives, the district has established a system that connects policy, data, fieldwork, and communication.

Seo-gu District Mayor Kim Ikang stated, "Now, the alley economy of Seo-gu is moving beyond mere survival to a stage of structural recovery and a virtuous cycle of consumption, sales, and reinvestment. The direction of consumption is returning to the alleys, the alleys are drawing people back, and we will complete the good economy model in Seo-gu, the good city."

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