The government has decided to raise the discount rate for the Onnuri gift certificate from the existing 10% to 15% for this Lunar New Year holiday. Additionally, from the 10th of this month to the 10th of next month, there will be an event where 15% (up to 80,000 won per person) of the amount paid through digital means, such as the Zero Pay app, will be refunded. If a product worth 130,000 won is purchased with a digital Onnuri gift certificate during the Lunar New Year period, it will be possible to receive a discount benefit of 40,000 won, which includes a 20,000 won gift certificate purchase discount and a 20,000 won digital refund.
On the 9th, the government finalized its plans for the Lunar New Year at a meeting led by Choi Sang-mok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister, who is also the Minister of Strategy and Finance.
The government noted that while prices have been stabilizing recently, some agricultural products are seeing high prices due to supply factors, and demand pressure is expected to intensify ahead of the Lunar New Year. Therefore, measures will be put in place to stabilize the prices of agricultural, livestock, and fisheries products.
First, the government plans to increase discount support centered around online gift certificates and expand the supply of agricultural, livestock, and fisheries products to stabilize their prices. Additionally, price inspection activities to eliminate unfair practices in the market will be strengthened.
◇ Reduce the burden of expenses for New Year preparations with Onnuri gift certificates
Using Onnuri gift certificates significantly reduces the burden of expenses for this New Year. The government has raised the discount rate for purchasing Onnuri gift certificates from 10% to 15% this year. If you purchase gift certificates worth 200,000 won, you'd previously have to pay 180,000 won, but this year, you only need to pay 170,000 won.
Furthermore, when purchasing items with gift certificates, individuals can participate in a refund event. For payment amounts between 34,000 won and 67,000 won with an Onnuri gift certificate, a refund of 10,000 won is available, and for amounts exceeding 67,000 won, a refund of 20,000 won can be received. A person can participate a maximum of four times, leading to a total refund of 80,000 won.
If someone purchases 280,000 won worth of Onnuri gift certificates and divides the payments into four installments of 70,000 won each and receives a refund, they could benefit from a discount effect of 122,000 won (approximately 43.6%), including a 42,000 won discount on the purchase and an 80,000 won refund. Additionally, the government will conduct a lottery to distribute gift certificates (1st prize 1 million won) to those who make payments of over 30,000 won with digital Onnuri gift certificates around the New Year.
Separate from the Onnuri gift certificates, government discount support will also be provided. The government plans to lower consumer purchase prices by up to 50% through a record 90 billion won worth of discount support for agricultural, livestock, and fisheries products. Each distribution company will provide discounts of up to 50% on key seasonal products for individuals, up to a maximum of 20,000 won per week.
Napa cabbage, radishes, eggs, and pork will receive discounts of up to 40% (20% government support + 20% discount from producers and distributors), while key seafood such as seaweed, pollock, and young croaker will be discounted by up to 50% (20% government support + 30% store discount).
To ensure that traditional markets also benefit from the discounts, the supply of agricultural discount coupons and fisheries event gift certificates will be expanded compared to regular periods.
◇ Supply of agricultural, livestock, and fisheries products at record levels... 40,000 tons of apples and pears shipped
The supply of agricultural, livestock, and fisheries products will also be expanded to stabilize seasonal product prices. The government will increase the supply of napa cabbage, radishes, apples, and pears by up to 3.9 times compared to usual levels.
The government will supply 10,000 tons of napa cabbage and radishes through contracted cultivation and stockpiled amounts while apples and pears, which are in high demand during the holiday season, will be supplied at a volume of 40,000 tons, which is 5.6 times the usual amount through designated shipment methods.
An allocated tariff will be applied to 8,000 tons of radishes, 15,000 tons of carrots, and 10 varieties of imported fruits (300,000 tons) to facilitate their rapid introduction into the domestic market.
Livestock products will be supplied at 1.4 times the usual amount through increased shipments by producer organizations. The supply of eggs will also be increased by up to 1.8 times compared to usual levels.
For fisheries products, the government plans to directly supply 11,000 tons of popular fish species, such as pollock and squid, to markets and stores at prices 50% lower than market prices.