Culture ministry says Tteunteun Money participation more than doubles

The culture ministry said that participation in its Tteunteun Money sports-points programme more than doubled by the end of July, after a dedicated app was launched and eligible activities were expanded.

Point-earning participants totalled 699,566 at the end of July, compared with 317,117 in the same period last year. The programme awards points for at least 30 minutes of exercise, which people can convert into sports vouchers, up to 50,000 points per person. This year, the ministry cut the award for each 30 minutes of exercise to 500 points from 1,000 points last year.

Average sports activity time among participants earning regular points, excluding special points for new registrations and events, reached 12 hours 29 minutes, up from 10 hours 28 minutes last year.

General point accruals closed on Aug. 2, when the programme's 8 billion won support allocation reached a 100% accrual rate.

"The swift exhaustion of Tteunteun Money funding through the public's active participation is a meaningful sign that a culture of everyday sports participation has taken root in our society," Kim Dae-hyun, the second vice minister at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said.

Since March, the dedicated app has combined point earning, balance checks and conversions in one place. It also received mobile-app accessibility certification for older people and people with disabilities. The ministry linked the programme to private fitness apps in June, adding verification for running, stair climbing and hiking.

On July 29, the programme began allowing users to convert points into Gyeonggi local currency, expanding the number of locations where points can be used to about 80,000 from 62,000. The ministry plans to expand links with other local-government currencies in stages.