Gwangju Western District to Launch 'Golmokpay Payback Event' Starting November 17

Up to 20% Discount When Paying with Onnuri Gift Certificates
"Revitalizing Local Alley Businesses and Reducing Residents' Living Expenses"

Gwangju's Western District will exclusively launch the 'Western District Golmokpay Payback Event' starting on November 17, offering up to a 20% discount when paying with digital Onnuri gift certificates.

Western District Golmokpay Payback Event Poster. Provided by Gwangju Western District

According to the Western District on November 13, this event aims to revitalize local alley businesses and reduce residents' living expenses. It was planned to fill the gap created by the early termination of the 10% pre-discount policy for digital Onnuri gift certificates, which ended on November 10.

The Western District has allocated a budget of 600 million won for this event and will conduct the payback promotion over six weekly rounds until the budget is exhausted. When making a purchase of at least 10,000 won with digital Onnuri gift certificates at participating local merchants, customers can receive 10% of the purchase amount back, up to a maximum of 20,000 won per round.

Furthermore, when combined with Gwangju City's 10% payback event, consumers can receive up to a 20% discount, making the Western District the only local government in the country to maintain this 20% benefit.

Consumers can spend 200,000 won per week in the Western District using Onnuri gift certificates and receive 40,000 won back. The district expects this event to generate an economic ripple effect of approximately 12 billion won for the local economy.

Previously, on November 3, the Western District signed a financial business agreement with the Gwangju-Jeonnam-Jeju Regional Headquarters of the Small Enterprise and Market Service and Korea Minting, Security Printing & ID Card Operating Corporation to promote the digital Onnuri payback project and ensure smooth implementation.

The Western District was the first in the country to designate all 121 areas in the district as alley-type shopping districts and has significantly expanded the number of Onnuri gift certificate merchants, thereby strengthening the foundation of the alley economy. As a result, the distribution volume of digital Onnuri gift certificates increased 14.5 times (by 48.8 billion won), from 3.6 billion won last year to 52.4 billion won as of the end of September.

This has not only increased merchants' sales but also effectively reduced residents' living expenses, earning recognition as a practical and community-friendly economic model.

Kim Ikang, head of the Western District Office, stated, "We are leading the recovery and circulation of the alley economy through practical economic policies that residents can truly feel," and urged, "As the Western District holds its year-end mega sale, please join us in creating a community-friendly economy where both consumers and small business owners can benefit by using Onnuri gift certificates."

Meanwhile, on November 12, Kim Ikang attended a national policy briefing at the Blue House guesthouse, hosted by President Lee Jaemyung and attended by mayors, county governors, and district heads from across the country. At the event, he introduced the Western District's 100% designation of alley-type shopping districts and its policy to promote the use of Onnuri gift certificates.

Prime Minister Kim Minseok remarked, "The Western District's innovative policy received the Prime Minister's Award at the 'Excellent Local Autonomy Policy Competition,'" and expressed his intention to visit the district in the near future.