Business Agreement Signed with Gyeongin Regional Post Office... Up to 39% Discount
Foreign Residents in Incheon Also Eligible for 10-13% Discount Benefits
Incheon City is offering discounted international express mail rates to local small business owners and foreigners. On the 24th, the city signed a business agreement with the Gyeongin Regional Post Office to promote the 'i Global Courier and International Express Mail (EMS) Support Project.'
This agreement was established to strengthen the logistics competitiveness of small business owners and SMEs by linking the city's 'Half-Price Courier Support Project for Small Business Owners,' which has been in effect since October last year, with the Postal Service Headquarters' 'International Express Mail Rate Discount Support Project,' and to improve the settlement conditions for foreigners residing in Incheon.
According to the agreement, small business owners and SMEs in the Incheon area can receive preferential discounts (from a basic 12% up to 39%) even if they use EMS only once a month, regardless of their monthly EMS usage volume. Currently, only users with monthly EMS usage fees exceeding 20 million KRW receive the basic discount benefits.
Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok is sending the first "i Global Parcel" together with foreign residents living in Incheon at Nam Incheon Post Office on the 24th. Provided by Incheon City
Additionally, foreigners residing in Incheon will receive EMS rate discounts ranging from a basic 10% up to 13%, similar to the benefits provided to multicultural families.
The EMS rate discount for foreigners took effect on the same day, while the discount for SMEs and small business owners will be implemented from May 1 after preparation and pilot operation.
Small business owners wishing to participate in the project must register for the Half-Price Courier Support Project and then visit one of six designated post offices to sign an EMS usage contract. Foreigners residing in Incheon can receive the discount benefits by visiting any post office in Incheon with their Alien Registration Card or Domestic Residence Report Card, without a separate contract.
After the signing ceremony, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok of Incheon and Kim Kkot-ma-eum, head of the Gyeongin Regional Post Office, moved to Nam Incheon Post Office, where they personally packed and sent the first box of the 'i Global Courier' together with foreigners, marking the start of the project.
Mayor Yoo said, "Through this support project, the global competitiveness of local small business owners and SMEs will be significantly enhanced, and it is hoped to assist small-scale companies struggling to enter overseas markets. It will also have a positive impact on the adaptation and settlement of foreigners residing in Incheon in the local community."
Meanwhile, Incheon City was the first local government nationwide to implement the 'Half-Price Courier for Small Business Owners' in October last year, and has since signed contracts with 5,264 companies, with over 79,451 courier shipments sent, receiving favorable responses.
The Half-Price Courier project reduces delivery costs for small business owners by collecting small quantities of goods through a collection center utilizing the subway and signing unit price contracts with courier companies. The city expects this to increase the entry rate of small business owners into the online shopping market by 25% and to boost annual sales by more than 10%.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
