Seoul City Issues 350 Billion Won in Usable Gift Certificates for 'Severe COVID-19 Impact & Tourism Special Zones'... Four Major Tourism Special Zones Including Jongno and Cheonggye

Sale of 'Special Commercial Area Recovery Gift Certificates' to Revive Tourism Zones and Special Damage Areas Facing Sales Decline
On the 30th, 100 billion KRW in four major downtown tourist zones... 250 billion KRW in special damage area-exclusive gift certificates, 10 billion KRW per district

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] A dedicated gift certificate that can be used in tourism special zones struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and areas severely affected by sales decline will be issued. The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to issue gift certificates worth 350 billion KRW by the end of the year, which can be purchased at a 10% discount, to provide immediate support for increasing sales of small business owners.

On the 28th, Seoul announced that it will issue a total of 350 billion KRW worth of ‘Special Commercial District Recovery Support Gift Certificates,’ including 100 billion KRW for the four major downtown tourism special zones ▲Jongno·Cheonggye ▲Myeongdong·Namdaemun·Bukchang ▲Dongdaemun Fashion Town ▲Itaewon, which have been driven into a dead end due to sales decline, and 250 billion KRW for special damage commercial districts within 25 autonomous districts.

The ‘Special Commercial District Recovery Support Gift Certificates’ to be issued this time can be purchased at a 10% discounted price up to 500,000 KRW per person, and also provide a 10% payback on the payment amount, up to 20,000 KRW per month. Each person can receive benefits up to 70,000 KRW per month. Additionally, to allow small business owners to immediately feel the effect of increased sales, the validity period for using the gift certificates is limited to six months from the date of purchase.

Starting from the 30th, gift certificates that can be used in the four major downtown tourism special zones will be issued at 25 billion KRW per zone, totaling 100 billion KRW. They can be used in 19 neighborhoods within the areas of ▲Jongno·Cheonggye ▲Myeongdong·Namdaemun·Bukchang ▲Dongdaemun Fashion Town ▲Itaewon (covering 3 autonomous districts).

Following the issuance of gift certificates for the four major downtown tourism special zones, gift certificates usable in special damage commercial districts within 25 autonomous districts will be issued in mid-December at 10 billion KRW per district, totaling 250 billion KRW.

The ‘Special Commercial District Recovery Support Gift Certificates’ issued this time can only be used at affiliated stores within the respective areas, and the list of affiliated stores can be checked on the usage guide app ‘Z-MAP.’

Han Young-hee, Director of Labor, Fairness, and Coexistence Policy at Seoul City, said, “We hope that the Special Commercial District Recovery Support Gift Certificates, which can only be used in severely affected commercial districts, will provide a small but vital relief to small business owners who are facing closure risks due to sales decline and decreased tourists.” She added, “Next year, we plan to implement various supports that small business owners can immediately experience through customized support by commercial district.”