'Discount, Refund, and Special Vouchers': Chuseok Triple Benefits to Ease Your Holiday Shopping Burden

Ministry of Agriculture and aT Launch 149 Billion Won Special Discount Event for Agricultural and Livestock Products
Support Tripled Compared to Last Year... Up to 30% Discount Across All Channels
Discount Benefits Offered Without Any Cap Per Person

To help ease the financial burden on consumers ahead of the Chuseok holiday, the government is implementing a three-pronged support program including discounts, a traditional market refund event, and special agricultural shopping vouchers. In particular, this year consumers are able to purchase all categories of domestic agricultural and livestock products at discounted prices without any purchase limit per person, further enhancing the benefits experienced by shoppers.

On September 22, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) announced that they are carrying out a special agricultural and livestock product discount support event worth a total of 149 billion won without any issues. The scale of support has been significantly expanded from last year’s 50 billion won to 149 billion won, nearly triple last year's amount, and the discount event period has also been extended by one week from the original dates of September 3–23 to now run until September 30, including the entire Chuseok holiday.

A view of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs discount support event underway at Emart Yongsan Branch on the 18th. aT

An aT official emphasized, “A standout feature of this Chuseok special event is that there is no individual discount cap on all domestic fresh agricultural and livestock products. Compared to last year, when a discount cap of 20,000 won per person was applied to the Chuseok event, this expanded support method allows consumers to enjoy more extensive discount benefits during periods such as holiday grocery shopping, when purchase quantities naturally increase.”

◆Maximum 30% Discount Both Online and Offline= This special event is available through various distribution channels, including large supermarkets, small and medium-sized supermarkets, local agricultural cooperatives, eco-friendly stores, local food direct stores, and online malls. The event covers all fresh domestic agricultural and livestock products. Consumers can receive a 20% discount on purchases depending on their chosen distribution channel, and for online traditional market malls, the discount is expanded up to 30%. Roughly 4,000 outlets—including large and small supermarkets, eco-friendly stores, local food direct stores, and online malls—are participating in this discount event. Consumers can purchase domestic fresh agricultural and livestock products at discounts of 20–30% at their favorite stores and online malls. Most notably, there is no individual cap on the discount amount for this event, which aT expects will help significantly reduce the burden for consumers preparing for the holiday by buying in bulk. However, the specific discounted items and operational details may vary by store, so consumers should check announcements, flyers, or apps at each store in advance.

Song Miryung, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (center), visited Shinyeong Market in Seoul on the 17th to observe the supply and demand trends of Chuseok holiday essentials and to check the traditional market Onnuri gift certificate refund event. aT

◆Traditional Market Refund Event... 30% of Purchases Refunded as Onnuri Gift Certificates= The traditional market refund event will take place for five days from September 16 to 20, prior to the Chuseok holiday, at 300 traditional markets nationwide. Consumers who purchase domestic agricultural and livestock products at traditional markets may submit their receipts to designated refund booths for verification and receive a refund in the form of Onnuri gift certificates. Purchases between 34,000 won and less than 67,000 won are eligible for a 10,000 won refund, while purchases of 67,000 won or more receive a refund of 20,000 won in Onnuri gift certificates. A total budget of 35 billion won has been allocated to this refund event, which is expected to further ease the financial burden for traditional market shoppers.

◆Agricultural Shopping Voucher, 20% Pre-Discount Sale... Separate Priority Buying Period for Seniors= The agricultural shopping voucher, a mobile voucher specifically for domestic fresh agricultural and livestock products, was available at a 20% discounted price through the BipplePay app from September 7 to 20. Seniors were given a priority buying period from September 7 to 13, while the general public could purchase from the 14th to the 20th. The purchased vouchers can be used at about 9,000 affiliated stores nationwide, and the nearest participating stores can be found using the 'ZeroPayMap' app. The vouchers are issued by region, taking into account population and the number of affiliated stores.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and aT plan to expand the points of access for discount support—whether through supermarkets, traditional markets, or online retailers—given the diversity in shopping routes and purchase methods preferred by consumers. The goal is to lower the prices of essential basket items for households during the peak holiday season. Details regarding participating distribution stores and traditional markets can be found on the special agricultural and livestock product discount support homepage.

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