Expansion of Onnuri Gift Certificate Usage... Pilates Studios and Korean Medicine Clinics Available in Shopping Districts

The amendment will be promulgated and enforced immediately after the President's approval
Franchise registration for all industries except 29 restricted industries

The places where Onnuri gift certificates can be used will significantly increase compared to before.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced that the revision of the Enforcement Decree of the Special Act on the Promotion of Traditional Markets and Shopping Districts, which largely relaxes the restrictions on franchise industries for Onnuri gift certificates to revitalize commercial districts such as traditional markets and shopping streets, was approved at the Cabinet meeting on the 3rd. This revision of the Enforcement Decree of the Traditional Market Act will be implemented immediately upon promulgation after the President's approval.

A sign for Onnuri gift certificate affiliated stores posted in a traditional market in downtown Seoul ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday on January 16.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

First, with this revision, all industries except for 29 restricted industries such as pubs, insurance, and liquor retail can register as Onnuri gift certificate franchises. Accordingly, small business owners engaged in small-scale manufacturing such as rice mills, hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) manufacturing, and accessory manufacturing, as well as printing shops, can also register as Onnuri gift certificate franchise stores. Before the revision, only stores in traditional markets and shopping districts engaged in wholesale, retail, and service businesses could register as Onnuri gift certificate franchises.

Additionally, although located within traditional markets and shopping districts, previously restricted industries such as Taekwondo, yoga, Pilates, and other sports and recreation academies, piano and other musical instrument lesson academies, art academies, dance academies, acting academies, clinics, Korean medicine clinics, dental clinics, veterinary hospitals, karaoke rooms, legal and tax offices, etc., will now be able to accept Onnuri gift certificates.

The revision of the Act on the Protection and Support of Small Businesses, which allows Baeknyeon small business owners to register as Onnuri gift certificate franchises, was passed at the National Assembly plenary session on the 28th of last month. It is expected to be submitted to the Cabinet meeting in the future, enabling the use of Onnuri gift certificates at Baeknyeon small business stores nationwide.

Meanwhile, according to the Chuseok Livelihood Stabilization Measures announced on the 28th of last month, until the 30th of this month, card-type and mobile Onnuri gift certificates can be purchased at a 15% discount, which is 5 percentage points higher than the previous 10%, with a monthly purchase limit of 2 million KRW. The scale of this special discount sale for digital Onnuri gift certificates is 250 billion KRW.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will conduct education on the illegal distribution of Onnuri gift certificates for merchants together with traditional market merchant associations to prevent potential illegal distribution that may increase due to the expansion of Onnuri gift certificate franchise targets. Efforts to prevent such activities will also be strengthened through the advancement of a monitoring system (FDS) that detects illegal distribution in real time.

Lee Dae-geon, Director of Small Business Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, “Onnuri gift certificates are a support project that contributes to revitalizing commercial districts by allowing anyone to conveniently use them at traditional markets or shopping districts nationwide,” and added, “We hope that more small business owners will increase their sales through Onnuri gift certificates through the revision of the Enforcement Decree and this month’s discount event.”