"Spending This Much to Save 28,000 Won" 7% Discount Sparks Battle for Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates

'Seoul Sarang Gift Certificate' Sold Out in 74 Minutes After Sales Begin

On the morning of the 14th, access to the 'Seoul Pay' app was delayed or unavailable due to a surge of users trying to purchase the 'Seoul Sarang Gift Certificate.' Photo by Reader.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Seoul City is facing a flood of consumer complaints regarding the 'Seoul Love Gift Certificate (Metropolitan)' planned to ease the increased burden on ordinary citizens due to rising prices. On the first day of issuing the gift certificates, a sudden surge in users caused connection failures or delays, making purchases difficult. Citizens who had hoped to buy the gift certificates amid soaring prices have expressed dissatisfaction with the unstable system of the 'Seoul Pay (SeoulPay+)' app.

On the 14th, starting at 10 a.m., Seoul City sold Seoul Love Gift Certificates worth 25 billion KRW at a 7% discount. Unlike before, when the gift certificates could only be used in the issuing district, they can now be used in any of the 25 districts, with a purchase limit of 400,000 KRW. The gift certificates sold out 74 minutes after issuance began, at 11:14 a.m.

That morning, complaints about the Seoul Pay app appeared continuously on online communities and social networking services (SNS). Citizens lamented, "The connection is delayed, so I just keep waiting," "Do I have to wait this long to save 28,000 KRW?" and "Didn't they expect so many users when expanding from district to metropolitan level?" Some citizens shared tips, such as switching to airplane mode and reconnecting data to enable purchases.

Gang Nam-tae, head of the Seoul Small Business Platform, explained, "We expected about 150,000 users to connect, but more than 200,000 users temporarily surged, causing errors." Regarding the additional issuance of 25 billion KRW worth of gift certificates planned for next week, he said, "After holding a countermeasure meeting this afternoon, we plan to supplement the shortcomings and announce a specific issuance date."