Ministry of SMEs and Startups Launches TF for Onnuri Gift Certificate Improvement

Ministry of SMEs and Startups & National Merchants Federation Lead
Promotion of Gift Certificate Usage, Franchise Management, and Prevention of Illegal Distribution

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 1st that it has launched a task force (TF) to improve the Onnuri Gift Certificate. This TF plans to develop a comprehensive improvement plan that identifies the issues of fraudulent distribution of Onnuri Gift Certificates, which have been pointed out by the National Assembly and the media, establishes a system to prevent recurrence, and includes measures to promote the future use of Onnuri Gift Certificates.

In particular, the TF includes various organizations such as the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, local Small and Medium Venture Business Administrations, the Small Enterprise and Market Service, and the National Federation of Merchants, and will also seek cooperation from local governments. To this end, in the short term, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the National Federation of Merchants will take the lead in examining the current status of Onnuri Gift Certificate usage, including fraudulent distribution and exemplary cases of utilization within traditional markets and shopping districts, and will explore improvement measures regarding management systems, institutional reforms, and support methods. In the mid to long term, they plan to discuss franchise registration management and measures to promote the use of Onnuri Gift Certificates through a survey on the actual conditions of Onnuri Gift Certificates.

Won Young-jun, Director of the Small Business Policy Office at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, stated, “Since the Onnuri Gift Certificate system was introduced to revitalize consumption in traditional markets and shopping districts, we will continue to expand the issuance scale while thoroughly inspecting and preparing to completely eradicate fraudulent distribution by closely monitoring all procedures of the gift certificates, from issuance to sale, use, and collection.”