Hwasun-gun Restricts Handling of 'Hwasun Love Gift Certificates' at Franchise Stores with Annual Sales Exceeding 3 Billion Won

Handling Only Policy Issuances Such as Farmers and Fishermen Public Interest Allowance

Hwasun County in Jeollanam-do announced on the 9th that, in accordance with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's guidelines restricting the usage locations of local love gift certificates, it will limit Hwasun Love Gift Certificate affiliated stores primarily to small businesses starting from the 31st.

Accordingly, the county plans to restrict the handling of Hwasun Love Gift Certificates at affiliated stores with annual sales exceeding 3 billion KRW starting from the 31st.

However, Hwasun Love Gift Certificates issued as ‘policy issuance’ by Hwasun County, such as for farmers and fishermen’s public interest allowances and relocation incentives, can still be used at affiliated stores with annual sales exceeding 3 billion KRW.

The county is separately producing paper gift certificates marked with ‘policy issuance’ to prevent confusion among affiliated stores and users.

For affiliated stores with annual sales exceeding 3 billion KRW, a grace period for exchange will be provided throughout June to encourage the exchange of all held gift certificates.

Additionally, to curb the practice of purchasing gift certificates in bulk and then buying high-priced goods or services at once, the holding limit for gift certificates will be lowered from 2 million KRW to 1.5 million KRW starting from the 10th.

A county official stated, “Once the identification of affiliated stores with annual sales exceeding 3 billion KRW is completed, we will announce it on the website and attach stickers at the entrances of affiliated stores to ensure there is no confusion when using the gift certificates, and we will do our best to promote this in advance.”

Meanwhile, in February, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety notified local governments nationwide of the ‘2023 Local Love Gift Certificate Issuance Support Project Comprehensive Guidelines,’ which include restrictions on affiliated stores with annual sales exceeding 3 billion KRW to align with the purpose of revitalizing the local economy through stimulating local consumption and supporting small businesses.