Will Onnuri Gift Certificates Become Exclusive to Hospitals and Clinics?

76% of Transactions Now at Hospitals After Eligibility Eased
Kim Won-i: "Original Purpose of Supporting Traditional Markets Undermined"

Won-Ki Kim, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

There are growing concerns that the original purpose of the Onnuri Gift Certificate program-intended to support traditional markets and small business owners-is being undermined, as benefits are increasingly concentrated in certain sectors such as hospitals and clinics following the relaxation of eligibility criteria for affiliated businesses. In particular, hospitals and clinics, where high-value transactions are common, have emerged as major beneficiaries of the program, prompting urgent calls for countermeasures.

According to audit materials submitted by Assemblyman Kim Won-i of the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Mokpo, South Jeolla Province) to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, out of the total 45.7 billion won in transactions made by 3,654 newly affiliated businesses from September last year to August this year, following the relaxation of business category requirements, 34.8 billion won-accounting for 76%-was spent at hospitals and clinics. Academies followed with 10.1 billion won.

An orthopedic clinic in Sejong City recorded over 1.3 billion won in Onnuri Gift Certificate payments during this period, while four dental clinics and medical offices in major cities such as Gyeonggi Province, Daejeon, and Seoul each processed transactions worth between 900 million and 1 billion won.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups explained that some hospitals have a large number of physical therapy patients. However, criticism has arisen that such large-scale use of Onnuri Gift Certificates at medium- and large-sized hospitals is far removed from the policy goal of revitalizing traditional markets.

Assemblyman Kim stated, "By hastily relaxing the affiliation criteria, only hospitals are reaping the benefits. It is questionable whether multi-billion-won transactions at large hospitals, which are presumed to focus on manual therapy, align with the program's intent," emphasizing, "It is urgent to improve the system so that support is centered on traditional markets and small business owners."

Meanwhile, a proposed amendment to impose an annual sales limit (30 billion won or less) for Onnuri Gift Certificate affiliation has been introduced, but it remains pending in the National Assembly.