Gwanak-gu in Seoul (District Mayor Park Junhee) will issue 14 billion won worth of "Gwanak Love Gift Certificates" starting at 1:00 p.m. on September 16. This initiative was planned to alleviate the economic burden on residents and boost sales for local small businesses ahead of the Chuseok holiday.
The discount rate, previously set at 5%, has been raised to 7% with 2% support from the national budget. In addition, a "payback event" will provide a 3% refund in mobile gift certificates the following month based on the amount spent, allowing users to benefit from up to a 10% discount. However, the payback event may end early if the allocated budget is exhausted.
The gift certificates can be purchased in mobile form through the Seoul Pay Plus (SeoulPay+) app, and, starting this time, can also be bought using Naver Pay (N Pay) Money. This is expected to increase usage among younger generations. Each individual can purchase up to 500,000 won per month, with a maximum holding limit of 1.5 million won. Full refunds are available for unused amounts, and partial refunds are possible for remaining balances after a certain amount of use when purchased via bank transfer.
Earlier this year, Gwanak-gu sold out its 20 billion won issuance in a short period, and by linking gift certificate discounts with the public delivery app "Ttaenggyeoyo," the district is accelerating efforts to revitalize the local economy.
Park Junhee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, stated, "We have increased the discount rate to help reduce the economic burden on residents facing a difficult economy during Chuseok and to support increased sales for small businesses," adding, "We will actively implement practical Chuseok livelihood measures to inject vitality into the local economy."
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