Culture Ministry to Support Senior Sports Activities with Distribution of 700,000 Vouchers

First Application Period to Be Held from August 4 to 13

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on July 31 that, together with the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, it will distribute a total of 700,000 "Senior Sports Vouchers."

This initiative has been prepared to enhance the health of seniors in response to the transition into a super-aged society, and to revitalize local communities and the everyday economy. The total project budget is 36.5 billion won (26 billion won from the national budget and 10.5 billion won from local governments), utilizing the new government's second supplementary budget for 2025.

Any senior aged 65 or older who receives the basic pension is eligible to apply for the vouchers. Each voucher is worth 50,000 won, and depending on the application status in each local government, up to 150,000 won per person can be provided.

The vouchers will be distributed via Zero Pay and can be used at approximately 43,000 sports facilities nationwide that are registered as Zero Pay merchants. The Ministry plans to expand the use of the vouchers to public sports facilities in each region, such as swimming pools, park golf courses, and fitness centers, to support easy and convenient participation in sports activities for seniors.

The first application period for the vouchers is from August 4 to 13. Additional applications will be accepted in October, depending on the status of applications. Applications can be submitted through the dedicated website, and the recipients for the first round of support will be selected at the end of August. The vouchers distributed in the first round can be used on-site starting in September, and the usage period is until October 31.

A policy official from the Ministry stated, "Through this initiative, we hope that seniors will be able to improve their physical health, gain vitality in life through communication with others, and enjoy a happy later life," adding, "We also expect that expanding consumption at sports facilities will contribute to revitalizing the local economy and supporting the recovery of everyday life."