“Earn rewards for walking just 4,000 steps”: Daejeon City lowers the bar for Ontong Daejeon’s ‘Boram Mileage’

[Financial News, Daejeon = Kim Won-jun, Reporter] Daejeon City is lowering the barrier to using ‘Boram Mileage,’ a key companion service for its local gift certificate ‘Ontong Daejeon,’ and expanding its benefits. The plan is to encourage citizens to take part voluntarily in their daily lives and achieve two goals at once: revitalizing the local economy and increasing participation in city affairs.
 Daejeon City announced on the 19th that it had drawn up and was beginning to implement a sweeping revision of the operating rules for Boram Mileage, including easing the participant cap and point-earning requirements and simplifying the service interface, to encourage greater use.
 Boram Mileage is a program that awards mileage for everyday activities such as walking, checking in, using public transportation and visiting public facilities, which can then be converted into ‘Ontong Cash’ for use at Ontong Daejeon partner businesses.
 According to Daejeon City, as of October 14, 95,765 people had applied to participate in Boram Mileage, nearing the original target of 100,000. In response to the strong interest and enthusiasm shown by citizens, the city decided to ease the existing cap of 100,000 participants and broaden access so more citizens can benefit.
 The service system is also being improved for greater convenience. The user interface (UI) has been redesigned to let users intuitively select the activities they want to participate in on the Boram Mileage screen, simplifying the process.
 The requirements for earning points have also been substantially eased. Previously, users had to reach 8,000 steps in a day to receive mileage. Going forward, they will earn 100 points upon reaching 4,000 steps and an additional 100 points upon reaching 8,000 steps. For attendance checks, users will receive 40 points each day, with an additional 200 points for checking in five days in a row. Use of public transportation and visits to public facilities will continue to earn 50 points per use, as before.
 The city also plans to expand activities linked to city administration, including policy surveys, participation in local festivals and events, blood donations and citizen campaigns, and to run special point-earning events and challenge-based programs.
 Daejeon City plans to continue monitoring monthly participation and budget execution rates, then analyze the pilot program’s results after it ends before finalizing next year’s operating plans and additional improvements.
 Moon In-hwan, head of Daejeon City’s Livelihood Economy Bureau, said, “We have revised the requirements so citizens can find fulfillment in small everyday actions and participate more easily.” He added, “We will continue to improve the service so that citizen participation can create a virtuous cycle by revitalizing the local economy through Ontong Daejeon.”
 Meanwhile, reward programs for walking and public transportation use, recently introduced by local governments, are seen as delivering a threefold benefit beyond simply offering rewards: improving public health, encouraging action toward carbon neutrality and supporting local small businesses. In particular, points earned through Boram Mileage are converted into Ontong Cash that can be spent at local small-business partners. This is expected to prevent spending from flowing outside the region and strengthen the virtuous cycle that brings money into neighborhood businesses.
[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter