Seoul City Releases 265 Billion Won in Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates for Chuseok... Discounts and Payback Included

800 Billion Won in Metropolitan and 1.85 Trillion Won in District-Level Certificates Issued
Dedicated Senior Allotment... Purchases Available from September 14 to 17
5% Discount, with 2% Payback for Metropolitan and 2-5% Payback for District-Level Certificates

Seoul City will issue Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates worth 265 billion won ahead of Chuseok. Dedicated allotments and a priority purchase period have been prepared for senior citizens who are less familiar with using smartphones.

According to Seoul City’s announcement on September 11, a total of 80 billion won in metropolitan Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates and 185 billion won in district-level Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates will be sequentially sold through the Seoul Pay Plus app from the 14th to the 18th.

A scene from a traditional market in Seoul. The Asia Business Daily

Of the metropolitan certificates, 8 billion won are dedicated for seniors. This is the first time the “senior-exclusive purchase system” is being implemented, introduced to reduce the inconvenience experienced by those whose slower smartphone use puts them at a disadvantage in purchasing opportunities. This measure is part of the regulatory barrier improvement tasks for daily life announced by the city in May.

Citizens born in 1961 or earlier will be able to purchase from 9 a.m. on September 14 through September 17. With a 5% discount and an additional 2% payback in the form of gift certificates based on the purchase amount, a total benefit of approximately 7% can be enjoyed. However, the senior-exclusive certificates cannot be gifted to others; only the purchaser may use them. The city plans to consider expanding the dedicated issuance to district-level certificates depending on the outcome of this initiative.

For ordinary citizens, 72 billion won in metropolitan certificates will be sold on September 18. Citizens born in even-numbered years may purchase from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., while those born in odd-numbered years may purchase from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Each time slot will have 36 billion won allocated, and any remaining certificates after 6 p.m. can be purchased regardless of birth year.

The metropolitan certificates also offer a 5% discount and 2% payback. The payback will be provided from purchases made on the 14th until the budget runs out, and will be issued as gift certificates on October 20.

District-level certificates totaling 185 billion won will be issued across 24 districts from the 15th to the 18th. On the 15th, certificates will be sold for seven districts including Geumcheon and Seongdong; on the 16th, for eight districts including Yongsan and Gwangjin; and on the 17th, for nine districts including Gangbuk and Gwanak. Guro District will issue an additional 5 billion won on the 18th. All will come with a 5% discount, and in Jung District, there will be an additional 2% payback, while in Gangseo, Guro, Geumcheon, and Gangnam Districts, the payback will increase to 5%.

The purchase limit for both metropolitan and district-level certificates is 500,000 won per person per month, and the holding limit is 1.5 million won. They can be purchased via bank transfer, card, or “Npay Money.” Starting from the 14th, Kakao Pay payment via Seoul Pay QR will also be possible, and Seoul Pay QR payment will be linked to Naver Financial and Toss Place terminals as well.

Kyunghwan Park, Director General of Civic Living and Labor Policy at Seoul City, stated, “We are issuing Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates to reduce the shopping burden on citizens during Chuseok and to support small business sales. By introducing exclusive allotments and a priority purchase period for seniors for the first time, we hope more citizens will benefit and local commerce will be revitalized.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.