Chuncheon Public Livelihood Economic Policy Council Making Steady Progress on Key Tasks of Financial Support and Consumption Promotion

Expansion of Chuncheon Love Gift Certificates Supports Economic Recovery
Implementation of Council Initiatives: Special Guarantees, Interest Subsidies, and Public Job Programs
Next Year’s Focus: Strengthening Support for Small Businesses and Stimulating Consumption

Financial support and consumption promotion policies for small business owners and SMEs, initiated through the Chuncheon City Public Livelihood Economic Policy Council in Gangwon Province, are yielding tangible results on the ground.

Chuncheon City Hall exterior view.

Chuncheon City reviewed the progress and outcomes of the major initiatives discussed at the five Public Livelihood Economic Policy Council meetings held this year, and assessed that most of the tasks focused on expanding financial support and stimulating consumption are being implemented as planned.

Based on this year’s council discussions, the city first expanded the issuance of Chuncheon Love Gift Certificates from the previous 43 billion won to 82 billion won. Of this, 11 billion won was issued in paper form and 71 billion won in mobile form, enhancing both citizen convenience and local consumption.

Support to ease the financial burden on SMEs and small business owners was also significantly increased. The special guarantee program for SMEs was expanded from 3 billion won to 7.5 billion won, providing guarantees totaling 7.483 billion won to 247 companies. In addition, the scale of interest-subsidized loans was raised from 20 billion won to 50 billion won, facilitating loans of about 49.95 billion won to 895 companies.

New financial support is also underway for small business owners registered with the delivery app "Ttaenggyeoyo." Chuncheon City, in partnership with Shinhan Bank and Gangwon Credit Guarantee Foundation, is subsidizing interest on 4 billion won in development loans. An additional loan fund was secured through a 300 million won contribution from Shinhan Bank, and so far, 49 recipients have received loans totaling 1.74 billion won.

The special guarantee fee support project for small business loans also achieved results. This project supports 0.8% of the guarantee fee for up to two years, and a total of 98 recipients have benefited. The number of participants in public job programs was also increased from 238 to 462, contributing to income stability for vulnerable groups and maintaining local employment.

At the same time, institutional improvements were made, such as support for installing barrier-free kiosks and revising local regulations related to public livelihood. The free parking time at public parking lots in traditional markets and shopping districts was extended from one hour to two hours. The criteria for multi-child families were eased from three to two children, expanding discounts for tourist attractions and facility usage fees. Standards for high-volume waste-generating businesses were also relaxed to ease the burden on small business owners. In addition, for citizen safety, smoke masks were provided at building-type traditional markets such as Dongbu, Seobu, Nambu, Jeil Markets, and in the underground shopping district.

The city plans to focus its 2026 public livelihood economic response on "strengthening support for small business owners" and "stimulating consumption."

Forums and tailored information services to enhance the competitiveness of small business owners will be expanded, and the issuance of Chuncheon Love Gift Certificates will reach a record 100 billion won, maintaining a 10% discount benefit. The city also aims to further boost consumption by raising the purchase limit for mobile gift certificates. Step-by-step export capability training will be provided for domestic and novice export companies as well.

Meanwhile, since 2022, Chuncheon City has held the Public Livelihood Economic Policy Council, which includes related organizations and private experts, 24 times, regularly monitoring and coordinating tasks for local economic recovery and public livelihood stability.

A city official stated, "The Public Livelihood Economic Policy Council is more than just a discussion body; it is a platform for identifying and implementing policies that can be felt in the field. We will swiftly implement the discussed initiatives to achieve tangible results."