Daejeon Metropolitan City to Offer Up to 15% Cashback on 'Ontong Daejeon' in October and November

[Financial News, Daejeon = Reporter Kim Won-jun] Daejeon Metropolitan City is revamping the cashback benefits of its local love gift certificate, 'Ontong Daejeon,' from a uniform payment system to targeted support focused on vulnerable groups and local commercial areas. The new system will operate for two months, in October and November.
 According to Daejeon Metropolitan City on the 29th, the basic cashback rate for Ontong Daejeon will remain at 10% for October and November. Depending on whether users are welfare beneficiaries or shop at designated participating merchants, they will receive an additional 3% to 5% cashback, making them eligible for benefits of up to 15%.
 Welfare beneficiaries—including recipients of basic livelihood security, near-poverty households, disability pension recipients, legally recognized single-parent families and national merit recipients—will receive an additional 3% on top of the basic 10%, for a total cashback rate of 13%. Approximately 9,000 people who are already registered will receive the benefit automatically without taking additional steps. Newly eligible applicants can apply through the Ontong Daejeon app or a community service center.
 A 3% additional cashback, bringing the total to 13%, will also be provided for payments made at participating merchants in traditional markets, shopping districts and neighborhood shopping districts, as well as at merchants operated by young small-business owners whose representatives are aged 19 to 39 and whose businesses opened within the past year. Payments at businesses in the Good Price Business Certification Program will receive the highest additional cashback of 5%, for a maximum total of 15%. The additional support for the Good Price Business Certification Program will continue until the budget is exhausted.
 However, additional cashback benefits cannot be combined. Even if a welfare beneficiary makes a payment at a business in the Good Price Business Certification Program located in a traditional market, the benefits will not stack to exceed 16%. Only the single highest additional rate of 5% will apply, resulting in a total cashback rate of 15%.
 This revamp represents an evolution from the policy that provided a uniform 15% cashback to all citizens this month. This month, the special measure increased the number of Ontong Daejeon users by approximately 19,000 and the number of participating merchants by 430. The average daily number of app users also surpassed 100,000, drawing a strong response.
 Building on these results, Daejeon Metropolitan City plans to focus its limited financial resources from October on small-business owners and ordinary citizens who urgently need policy support.
 The restructuring of Ontong Daejeon's cashback system is a measure aimed at ensuring the sustainability of the local currency amid reduced national funding and the growing financial burden on local governments. Rather than merely stimulating consumption, the system is designed to direct spending toward businesses in the Good Price Business Certification Program, which contribute to price stability, and struggling neighborhood commercial areas, creating a virtuous cycle in the local economy through local currency payments.
 A Daejeon Metropolitan City official said, "Starting in October, Ontong Daejeon will maintain its basic benefits while focusing additional support on welfare beneficiaries and local commercial areas." The official added, "Please check in advance whether you qualify for additional cashback before making a payment and make active use of the benefit."
[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter