Haenam-gun to Issue Haenam Love Gift Certificates Worth 130 Billion Won This Year

Promoting Sustainable Gift Card Policies for Local Economic Development

County Governor Myeon-gwan Myung is conducting a campaign to promote the use of Haenam Love Gift Certificates.
[Photo by Haenam County]

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, will issue Haenam Love Gift Certificates worth 130 billion KRW this year to revitalize the local economy.

According to the county on the 10th, this is a slightly reduced amount compared to the 155 billion KRW issued last year, and the issuance scale and discount sales rate will be adjusted later depending on the support of national and provincial budgets.

Haenam Love Gift Certificates, which started issuance in 2019 with 17 billion KRW in the first year, increased the issuance scale to 175 billion KRW in 2021 and 155 billion KRW in 2022, showing the highest issuance and sales amount not only in the province but also nationwide among county-level units.

In particular, amid the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, it has played a crucial role as a catalyst in overcoming economic difficulties by establishing a virtuous cycle local economy system where funds circulate within the region.

So far, the cumulative issuance amount has reached 472 billion KRW, with sales of 448.2 billion KRW and redemption of 439.6 billion KRW, showing a sales and redemption rate exceeding 90%, and it is being actively operated. The number of registered affiliated stores has also increased from 2,300 at the initial issuance to 3,653 (2,766 card-type stores), allowing convenient use of the gift certificates anywhere in Haenam.

The number of actual users of the gift certificates reached 47,770 as of December last year. This proves that 8 out of 10 residents actually use the gift certificates based on the population eligible for purchase.

As a result of active efforts to attract national and provincial funds, Haenam-gun secured 25.3 billion KRW in national and provincial funds over four years and has been steadily promoting discount sales events to provide more benefits to users.

Although national funding is expected to decrease this year, the county plans to continue discount events through more active national and provincial fund acquisition and expansion of county funds.

In this regard, a special 10% discount sale is being held on January 10th ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. The purchase limit per person is 500,000 KRW combined for paper and card types.

Additionally, this year, a mobile (QR code) gift certificate will be introduced, expanding the scope of the gift certificates by providing incentives linked to the sale of local specialties, and various plans will be explored to enhance customer convenience.

Furthermore, the integrated management system will be monitored in real-time to take immediate action in case of abnormal signs, and efforts will be made to prevent and crack down on fraudulent distribution in advance.

A county official said, “It is expected that the cumulative issuance of Haenam Love Gift Certificates will reach 500 billion KRW this year,” adding, “We will make this year the first year of the rebirth of Haenam Love Gift Certificates and strive to make it a local gift certificate where small business owners and residents grow together through sustainable Haenam Love Gift Certificate policies.”

Meanwhile, Haenam-gun was selected as the best institution in the 2022 Local Love Gift Certificate Best Practice Evaluation hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, securing the Prime Minister’s government award and a special grant of 200 million KRW.

It is the only institution among the 22 cities and counties in Jeollanam-do to receive this commendation, officially recognizing its contribution to the difficult economy through the activation of local currency circulation.