The No. 1 Onnuri Gift Certificate Payment Spot Was a 'Mounjaro Mecca' ... Sweeping Up 26 Billion Won

[Financial News] The top two locations by Onnuri Gift Certificate payment volume in the first half of this year were a pharmacy and a clinic known as 'Mounjaro meccas.'
According to data submitted by the Small Enterprise and Market Service to the office of Kim Won-i of the Democratic Party of Korea on the 28th, Seoul's A Pharmacy ranked first in Onnuri Gift Certificate payment volume in the first half of the year with 26 billion won, followed by Seoul's B Clinic with 10.2 billion won. Located five minutes apart by road, the pharmacy and clinic are known to have gained online fame because Mounjaro, an obesity treatment drug, can be purchased there at low prices.
To prevent payment concentration, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups included hospitals and clinics with annual sales exceeding 3 billion won among the business categories restricted from registering as affiliated merchants on June 17. However, critics say the measure has limited effectiveness because businesses that became affiliated merchants before the law took effect can continue accepting the gift certificates until their first renewal.
Liquor-focused markets are also monopolizing the benefits. Three of the top 10 locations by payment volume in the first half of the year—Nos. 5, 7 and 10—were markets primarily selling alcoholic beverages. The three locations recorded a combined 16 billion won in payments. Last year, three liquor-focused markets—ranked Nos. 2, 3 and 7—also swept up a whopping 38.1 billion won in payments.
The amount of Onnuri Gift Certificates issued to revitalize traditional markets has reached trillions of won each year. Issuance fell from 3.5391 trillion won in 2022 to 2.0242 trillion won in 2023, before rising again to 3.5971 trillion won in 2024 and 3.9691 trillion won in 2025. This year, 2.7531 trillion won had already been issued in the first half alone.
Kim said, "Liquor-focused markets and large pharmacies are still enjoying the benefits of Onnuri Gift Certificates. To increase sales for traditional markets and small-scale small business owners, we need to greatly expand refund events for traditional markets and alley-type shopping districts, thereby upholding the purpose of the program and strengthening its effectiveness."
Meanwhile, the No. 3 location by payment volume in the first half of this year was the well-known C Bakery in Daejeon, with 6.6 billion won.

[email protected] Ahn Ga-eul Reporter