Raising Awareness of Improper Practices
The county has organized a task force for monitoring illegal distribution of the Goseong Sarang Gift Certificate. Using data provided by the Korea Minting, Security Printing and ID Card Operating Corporation and the Korea Easy Payment Promotion Agency, as well as an abnormal transaction detection system, the task force will select suspicious cases from transaction records between November 2024 and April 2025 and carry out focused inspections of the relevant affiliated stores.
Additionally, based on reports submitted to the illegal distribution reporting center, the task force will visit sites in person to verify whether illegal distribution has occurred and will take prompt action in response to any violations.
The main targets of the crackdown include: receiving or exchanging gift certificates without actually selling goods or providing services; exchanging gift certificates for amounts exceeding actual sales; operating a business in a category restricted from registering as an affiliated store; refusing payment by gift certificate or treating gift certificate payments less favorably than cash payments.
Affiliated stores found to be in violation may face administrative penalties under the Act on the Promotion of the Use of Local Gift Certificates, including cancellation of affiliation, fines of up to 20 million KRW, and recovery of unjust gains. In cases of serious violations, the matter will be referred to the police for investigation.
County Governor Lee Sanggeun stated, "The Goseong Sarang Gift Certificate greatly contributes to revitalizing the local economy. I urge all residents to actively cooperate so that a sound distribution order for the gift certificate is maintained and the policy's original intent is not undermined by a few improper acts."
The Goseong Sarang Gift Certificate can be purchased at a 10% discount starting from 9:00 a.m. on the first day of every month (or the next business day if the first falls on a holiday or weekend) through mobile apps such as Bipple Pay, chak, and NH All One Bank, as well as at local financial institutions. The purchase limit per person is 300,000 KRW for paper certificates and cards, 400,000 KRW for Zero Pay, and the maximum holding limit is 1.5 million KRW.
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