The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will inspect how traditional markets nationwide are responding to the heat wave and the status of Onnuri gift certificate merchant registration renewals, and will strengthen on-site support.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) said on the 10th that, chaired by Second Vice Minister Lee Byeong-gweon, it held a "meeting to check traditional market heat wave response and Onnuri gift certificate merchant renewal" and discussed the progress by each regional office of the Small and Medium Business Administration and on-site difficulties.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) is supporting the installation of cooling facilities such as cooling fog and portable air blowers in individual stores and common areas of traditional markets to respond to the heat wave. In cooperation with local governments, it is also promoting the operation of sprinkler trucks near markets, community refrigerators offering iced bottled water, and heat wave prevention kits for merchants. It plans to strengthen voluntary inspections to prevent heat-related illness and electrical fires and to prepare mid- to long-term measures, including expanding support for cooling equipment.
It also focused on checking the renewal of Onnuri gift certificate merchant registrations. On Oct. 18, the registration validity period for about 147,000 Onnuri gift certificate merchants is set to expire, and eligible merchants must complete their renewal applications by 10 days before the expiration date.
To make renewal applications more convenient, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) used the administrative information sharing network and MyData to waive the submission of business registration certificates and sales evidence, and improved procedures so that merchant associations can submit applications collectively for their affiliated merchants. During the renewal period, it will assign 20 additional support staff to regional offices to help with application guidance and document review.
It will also provide Alimtalk and Digital Onnuri app push notifications to merchants subject to renewal and strengthen outreach and application support in cooperation with the Korea Small Enterprise and Market Service, the National Federation of Merchants, and financial institutions handling Onnuri gift certificates.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) will operate a "merchant validity renewal TF" involving headquarters, regional offices, and the Korea Small Enterprise and Market Service to check renewal status daily and hold inspection meetings twice a month to manage progress.
Second Vice Minister Lee Byeong-gweon of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) said, "Please strengthen on-site inspections of traditional markets, which are vulnerable to heat waves, and work closely with regional offices and related agencies to ensure there are no gaps in safety management, such as operating cooling facilities and preventing fires." He added, "We will improve application convenience and strengthen on-site guidance and outreach so that all Onnuri gift certificate merchants can complete renewals smoothly within the application deadline," and "we will quickly identify difficulties raised in the field and continue to make improvements."