Gwangyang City Cracks Down on Illegal Distribution of Gwangyang Sarang Gift Certificates

Jeonnam Province and Ministry of the Interior Joint Crackdown Until the 31st

Gwangyang City in Jeollanam-do announced on the 14th that it will conduct a “comprehensive crackdown on illegal distribution” to establish a sound circulation order of the Gwangyang Love Gift Certificates issued to promote local consumption and prevent capital outflow from the region.

From the 13th to the 31st of this month, the city will form a joint inspection team with Jeollanam-do and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to carry out on-site inspections.

[Photo by Gwangyang-si]

The crackdown will target ▲illegal receipt and unlawful exchange ▲violation of restricted business sectors ▲refusal of payment ▲discriminatory treatment compared to cash, and the city plans to thoroughly detect and manage cases of illegal distribution by checking abnormal transaction details extracted through the Gwangyang Love Gift Certificate mobile system.

Accordingly, during this crackdown period, cases confirmed to involve illegal distribution will be subject to strong administrative and financial measures such as cancellation of merchant registration, imposition of fines, and recovery of unjust profits, depending on relevant laws and the nature of the violation.

In cases of serious violations such as large-scale illegal distribution detected during the crackdown, the city plans to request police investigations for strict punishment.

So far, Gwangyang City has conducted illegal distribution crackdowns once each in the first and second halves of 2021, with no violations detected; however, this year, one case was detected and reported to the police.

The relatively low number of illegal distribution cases in Gwangyang City to date is understood to be because there were no paper gift certificates, thus no unlawful exchanges (so-called ‘Kkang’) occurred.

Lee Hwa-yeop, Director of the Investment and Economy Division, said, “For the Gwangyang Love Gift Certificates to be effectively used to support local small business owners, illegal distribution must be eradicated,” adding, “If illegal distribution cases occur, we will respond strictly according to relevant laws under a zero-tolerance policy.”

Meanwhile, Gwangyang City has been promoting a 10% discount sale of the Gwangyang Love Gift Certificates at 43 sales agencies (NongHyup, Saemaeul Geumgo, Gwangju Bank, ShinHyup) this year, receiving great response from citizens, and sold out 60 billion won by September 1, 2023, suspending the discount sales. The city plans to resume discount sales from January 2024 when the budget is secured.