Haenam County's "Digital Onnuri Refund Event" a Huge Success... Usage Surges Fourfold

124 Million Won in Payments in Just 10 Days... Budget Significantly Expanded
Unprecedented Benefits of Up to 27% Bring Enthusiastic Response from Local Merchants

The “2026 Digital Onnuri Refund Event,” which Haenam County in South Jeolla Province is conducting in partnership with the Small Enterprise and Market Service, has proven to be explosively popular, far exceeding expectations and serving as a strong catalyst for revitalizing the local economy.

According to Haenam County on May 14, the amount of digital Onnuri gift certificate payments tallied within the county over the ten days since the event began on the 1st has reached approximately 124.19 million won. During this period, the number of eligible recipients for refunds was 1,516, with the estimated refund amount totaling about 23.51 million won.

Aerial View of Haenam County Office

This figure is far above initial projections and represents an almost fourfold surge compared to normal usage. The early surge in participation is believed to be due to the overlap of the Family Month holidays in May and the unprecedented discount and refund benefits of up to 27%.

Local merchants have also warmly welcomed the event, saying it has provided a real boost to their sales. One shopkeeper in the original downtown area of Haenam-eup commented, “After last year’s Pay-back event, Onnuri gift certificate payments slowed for a while, but since this new event started, there has been a noticeable increase in customers using digital gift certificates. I can really feel my sales picking up,” expressing gratitude.

As enthusiasm for the event continues to grow, Haenam County has responded swiftly to minimize consumer inconvenience due to the rapid depletion of the budget. The county plans to significantly expand the project budget from the initial 45 million won to 81 million won.

Under this event, customers who spend a cumulative 5,000 won or more in a month at participating stores in Haenam County using digital Onnuri gift certificates will receive a refund of up to 20% (up to 100,000 won per month). Including the regular 7% purchase discount, consumers can enjoy a total benefit of 27% in discounts.

A county official stated, “The budget is being depleted much faster than expected, so early termination of the event is likely. We will strengthen the virtuous cycle where local consumption leads to the revitalization of commercial districts, and we also plan to expand the number of Onnuri-affiliated stores by designating more alleyway-type shopping districts.”

Meanwhile, refunds will be paid out sequentially through the app starting ten days after the end of each month’s event, and users must register within 30 days of the payment date to use the funds.

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