₩12.2 billion in Onnuri gift certificates used at 4-to-5-pyeong vegetable shop... Lee So-young says, “I’ll investigate with the National Tax Service”

[Financial News] Lee So-young, Minister of SMEs and Startups (MSS), said she would “conduct a thorough investigation in cooperation with the National Tax Service and other relevant agencies” after ₩12.2 billion worth of Onnuri gift certificates were used at a 4-to-5-pyeong vegetable shop in a traditional market in Gwangju last year.
On the 7th, during the MSS’s parliamentary audit by the National Assembly’s Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee, Minister Lee responded to concerns raised by Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Won-i, saying, “I will investigate the matter and report back before the comprehensive audit.”
According to Rep. Kim, the cooperative processed ₩12.2 billion in Onnuri gift certificate payments last year, the fourth-highest total among affiliated merchants nationwide. The registered merchant was a vegetable shop measuring about 4 to 5 pyeong.
Sales also rose sharply in a short period. The cooperative’s sales soared from ₩500 million in 2023 to ₩11 billion in 2024. They rose further to ₩12.8 billion last year.
It was also pointed out that the merchant registration information did not match the actual business operations. After Rep. Kim’s office visited the address and made a purchase, it found that the receipt listed a different distributor’s name, not that of the cooperative affiliated with Onnuri gift certificates.
Concerns were also raised that expensive imported products could be purchased online using Onnuri gift certificates.
When People Power Party lawmaker Park Seong-min said that expensive imported electronics, including imported audio equipment priced in the ₩8 million range, were being sold through the Online Traditional Market Mall, Minister Lee replied, “I will consider measures to restrict the items that can be sold.”
[email protected] An Ga-eul Reporter