Finance ministry doubles Chuseok discount support to 193 billion won

The finance ministry said Friday it has more than doubled its discount support for Chuseok holiday goods to a record 193 billion won to stabilize household expenses ahead of the harvest festival. First Vice Minister Lee Hyung-il visited the Gongneung Dokkaebi Market to inspect the measures, which include supply expansions and cash-back events.

The government is pushing the discount program from September 3 to September 30 under its Chuseok Livelihood Stability Countermeasures announced earlier this month. Authorities have secured a total supply of 185,000 tonnes of holiday goods. As of September 16, 121,000 tonnes of agricultural and livestock products and 6,000 tonnes of seafood had already been distributed to markets. The ministry plans to utilize additional resources, including self-help funds, to hold further discount events for beef, pork, and chicken.

A special event to refund purchases with Onnuri Gift Certificates is taking place at traditional markets across the country from September 16 to September 20. The program covers 300 markets for agricultural and livestock products and another 300 for seafood, offering consumers refunds of up to 20,000 won on purchases exceeding 67,000 won. To reduce waiting times, the ministry has integrated separate refund booths into single locations and deployed mobile queuing systems along with additional ticket kiosks and staff.

Looking beyond the immediate holiday period, the government plans to significantly increase budget allocations for traditional market revitalization in the 2027 fiscal year. The budget for projects linking markets with local tourism and cultural hubs is set to rise 35.6 percent to 42.7 billion won, while funding for safety facility installations to prepare for extreme weather will surge 325.8 percent to 56.2 billion won. Additionally, 80 billion won will be invested in innovation support programs to help small merchants strengthen their competitiveness through product development and branding, a 100 percent increase from the current year.

"Traditional markets are representative livelihood sites where the daily lives of citizens and the local economy meet," Lee said. "We will closely monitor the implementation of livelihood stability measures so they are executed smoothly on the ground, while faithfully reflecting voices from the field to push policies that people can feel."