78.4% of Consumption Coupons Applied in the First Week... Payment Amount Exceeds 7 Trillion

[Financial News]  


The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (Minister Yun Ho-jung) announced on the 28th that within a week of starting the application and reception of livelihood recovery consumption coupons, approximately 39.67 million people, or 78.4% of the expected payment recipients, applied, and about 7.12 trillion won was paid.
When comparing the same period of the 2020 Emergency Disaster Relief Fund and the 2021 National Support Fund, the application rate increased by 24.0%p and 10.2%p respectively, indicating that applications were made at a significantly faster rate compared to past cases.
The government explained that as the application for consumption coupons proceeds stably, the weekday system for online applications was lifted from the weekend of the 26th, and the weekday system for offline applications at community centers and bank branches will be lifted from the 28th.
Accordingly, anyone can apply at any time regardless of their birth year until the application deadline of September 12.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety is actively promoting the 'visiting application' to ensure that all citizens can receive consumption coupons without blind spots, targeting citizens with mobility difficulties such as the elderly and disabled, by having local government officials visit them directly to receive applications and distribute consumption coupons.
The 'visiting application' operates in a way that when citizens with mobility difficulties, such as single elderly or disabled individuals, request the service via phone or text to the community center, the responsible staff visits homes, village halls, or senior centers to receive and distribute consumption coupons.
Meanwhile, regarding the availability of use in major business locations with many public inquiries, it is possible to use them in stores (hair salons, pharmacies, flower shops, etc.) independently operated by small businesses that do not share the payment system with large marts or department stores.
Franchise stores directly operated by headquarters are restricted from use as they do not align with the purpose of supporting small businesses, but franchise stores directly operated by local self-employed individuals with annual sales of 3 billion won or less can use consumption coupons, and these stores are guided through the headquarters website.
Local agricultural cooperatives (corporations) are generally restricted from use as their annual sales exceed 3 billion won, but for residents in areas without similar businesses like marts, supermarkets, or convenience stores, some Hanaro Marts located in certain areas are exceptionally included as places of use.
In-store kiosks and table order systems are often operated separately by payment agencies (PG: Payment Gateway), making it difficult to identify actual sales and region of the sales establishment, so consumption coupons can only be used when payment is made through the card terminal in the store.
Taxis can be used if the garage (individual taxi) or corporate location (corporate taxi) is in the relevant area and the annual sales are 3 billion won or less, but taxis using the payment system of a payment agency (PG) are restricted from use, so it is necessary to check the 'consumption coupon usage sticker' attached to the vehicle in advance.




ktitk@fnnews.com Kim Tae-kyung Reporter