Gwangju Sangsaeng Card Special Discount: 132.6 Billion Won Spent in January and February

Significant Impact on Boosting Consumption and Small Business Sales
"Contributing to Revitalizing Neighborhood Businesses... Expansion of National Government Support Needed"

Photo of Gwangju Sangsaeng Card data. Provided by Gwangju City

The "Gwangju Sangsaeng Card 10% Special Discount" campaign, which Gwangju City extended until February, has been found to invigorate the local economy by boosting consumer activity.

On the 11th, Gwangju City announced that the issuance of Gwangju Sangsaeng Cards during the special discount period in January and February this year reached approximately 182 billion KRW (100.66 billion KRW in January and 81.31 billion KRW in February), with usage totaling 132.6 billion KRW (67.2 billion KRW in January and 65.4 billion KRW in February).

The issuance amount in January, which included the Lunar New Year holiday, increased about 2.5 times compared to December of last year (41.33 billion KRW, 7% discount). Both the issuance and usage amounts saw significant growth. This year, the usage of the Gwangju Sangsaeng Card was 67.2 billion KRW in January and 65.4 billion KRW in February, a 42% surge compared to the average monthly usage of 46.746 billion KRW in the second half of last year. This usage amount is the highest since October 2023, when merchants with annual sales exceeding 3 billion KRW were restricted from joining the program.

The city believes that the "Gwangju Sangsaeng Card 10% Special Discount" has had a significant effect on promoting local consumption and increasing sales for small businesses. Despite challenging fiscal conditions, the city implemented the 10% special discount by jointly investing with five autonomous districts in January and independently funding it in February to revive weakened consumer sentiment.

As the "Gwangju Sangsaeng Card," aimed at protecting neighborhood businesses and small merchants, is a policy well-received and favored by citizens, the city emphasizes that expanding national government support is essential for stable operation. The city expects that if national funding is included and the support rate is increased, the sustainability and effectiveness of the Gwangju Sangsaeng Card can be maximized.

Meanwhile, in January, Gwangju City, together with 76 local institutions and organizations, launched the "2025 Gwangju Economy All Together ChakChakChak" (Good Consumption, Good Finance, Good Jobs) initiative to promote good consumption, good finance, and good jobs, actively implementing livelihood economy policies to support economic recovery for citizens.

Joo Jaehee, Director of Economic and Startup Bureau, stated, "As the implementation of the Gwangju Sangsaeng Card 10% Special Discount has helped reduce household burdens and revitalize neighborhood businesses, expanding national government support is urgently needed," and added, "We will continue to pursue various policies to invigorate the local economy."