Full-scale sales begin on March 3
Holding limit capped at 500,000 won
Last year, Gwangju Buk-gu's local currency "Bookkeumeoni," which sold out in just six days and gained huge popularity, is making a comeback with a dramatic 15% discount benefit.
Gwangju Metropolitan City Buk-gu announced on February 25 that it has completed all preparations for the issuance of Bookkeumeoni and will begin full-fledged sales from March 3.
This year’s Bookkeumeoni will offer a 15% discount, which is 5 percentage points higher than the 10% discount rate of Onnuri Gift Certificates and the Gwangju Sangsaeng Card. Thanks to this exceptional discount rate, Buk-gu expects that residents will once again show strong enthusiasm, including lining up early to purchase it.
Any resident aged 14 or older can purchase up to 500,000 won per person. It is issued in the form of prepaid cards in denominations of 30,000 won, 50,000 won, 100,000 won, 200,000 won, and 500,000 won.
To further promote the use of Bookkeumeoni this year and enhance resident convenience, Buk-gu has significantly increased the number of issuing locations. Previously, it could only be purchased at 18 Gwangju Bank branches located in Buk-gu, but starting this year, the number has been expanded to 67 Gwangju Bank branches across all of Gwangju.
In addition, to ensure that the discounted funds can be quickly injected into local neighborhood commercial districts, the holding limit per person has been strictly capped at 500,000 won, including any remaining balance issued in the previous year.
Buk-gu plans to create an environment in which Bookkeumeoni can be used easily anywhere throughout the district by continuously managing more than 20,000 affiliated merchants and working to secure new ones.
In particular, for two days from March 3, the first day of issuance, Buk-gu will operate a "Bookkeumeoni Mobile Service Bus" at the Buk-gu Office plaza to support fast and convenient on-site issuance.
Moon In, Mayor of Buk-gu, said, "I hope that Bookkeumeoni will once again serve as much-needed relief for local small business owners suffering from the prolonged economic downturn," adding, "We will continue to actively pursue practical local economic revitalization policies that thoroughly reflect the voices of merchants and residents."
Meanwhile, the total amount spent using Bookkeumeoni issued last year exceeded 7.6 billion won, and more than 80% of that spending occurred in everyday-life sectors such as restaurants, supermarkets, and private educational institutes.
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