Korea overhauls Onnuri gift certificate with 10 percent traditional market benefit

The SMEs ministry said Thursday it will overhaul the Onnuri gift certificate for the first time in 18 years, introducing differential benefits that give shoppers up to 10 percent back when they spend at traditional markets.

Under the plan announced at an economic ministers' meeting, consumers who use the certificate at a traditional market receive a 5 percent discount at purchase plus a 5 percent refund afterward. Spending in a regional neighborhood shopping district earns a 5 percent discount and a 3 percent refund. In the Seoul metropolitan area's neighborhood districts, only the 5 percent purchase discount applies.

"We will create a virtuous cycle in which spending through Onnuri brings people and consumption to the regions, and tourists' spending leads to sales at traditional markets and neighborhood commercial districts," SMEs minister Lee So-young said.

To direct more support to small and microbusiness owners, the ministry will restrict registration and renewal for stores that do not fit the certificate's policy purpose, focusing on franchisees with annual sales of 3 billion won ($2.21 million) or less. Professional services such as medical and legal offices, accounting and tax practices are barred from joining, while pharmacies remain eligible because they draw customers into markets. The ministry also plans to amend the traditional markets law to block corporate supermarkets from registering or renewing as Onnuri franchisees.

The designation standards for neighborhood shopping districts will be adjusted to reflect local government finances. Districts in the top 25 percent by fiscal independence need at least 30 stores, those in the middle 50 percent need 20, the bottom 25 percent need 15, and areas losing population need 10, down from a flat 15 nationwide.

Digital certificate users in the regions will also get access to local attractions, accommodation and shopping discounts offered by provincial governments, and the ministry will expand regional travel packages linking traditional markets with nearby tourist sites and shopping streets.

For foreign visitors, the ministry plans to build payment infrastructure allowing QR payments at traditional markets through apps they already use at home, without currency exchange or a new card. The government will work with domestic platforms including Naver and Kakao to make it easier to find participating stores on map apps, and will offer discount coupons to users of a joint delivery app. Welfare points held by public institution employees will be convertible into Onnuri certificates, with conversion rates and prize giveaways reflected in the institutions' shared-growth evaluations.

The ministry will cancel registrations of franchisees that infringe consumer rights or disrupt transaction order, and will allow qualifying stores to renew automatically instead of reapplying every three years.