Over 40% of eligible Koreans apply for consumption coupons in first 3 days

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Over 40% of eligible Koreans apply for consumption coupons in first 3 days

Published: 24 Jul. 2025, 11:59 Updated: 24 Jul. 2025, 22:02

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A citizen applies for a consumer coupon card at a community center in Sadang-dong, southern Seoul, on July 21. [NEWS1]

More than 40 percent of eligible Koreans applied for the first round of the government’s consumption coupon program in just three days, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on Thursday.

As of midnight Wednesday, a total of 21,486,247 people had submitted applications for the coupon since the program opened on Monday. That includes 7.2 million on the first day, 7.31 million on the second and 6.98 million on the third.

Of the applicants, 15,946,405 opted to receive the coupons as points on credit or debit cards, making it the most popular delivery method. Another 3,267,307 chose mobile or card-type regional gift certificates, while 388,710 selected to receive paper versions of the coupons. A total of 1,883,825 chose to receive prepaid cards.

By region, Gyeonggi had the largest number of applicants at 5,776,833. It was followed by Seoul with 3,853,191, Incheon with 1,365,435, South Gyeongsang with 1,356,933, North Gyeongsang with 1,056,857 and Daegu with 1,007,347.

The base amount for the first round of coupons is 150,000 won ($110) per person. Individuals from lower-income groups and single-parent households receive 300,000 won each, and recipients of basic livelihood support are given 400,000 won. An additional 30,000 won is granted to residents living outside the greater Seoul area — Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi — and another 50,000 won is given to the residents of 84 rural counties designated as experiencing population decline. The maximum amount a person can receive is 450,000 won.

Applications for the first round will be accepted until 6 p.m. on Sept. 12. Online applications via card company websites are open 24 hours a day. Offline applications, including at local government offices, are accepted from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays — or until 4 p.m. at bank branches.

To prevent system overload and overcrowding at community centers, a five-day rotation system based on the last digit of applicants’ birth years is in effect during the first week, from July 21 to 25. Those with birth years ending in 1 or 6 may apply on Monday, 2 or 7 on Tuesday, 3 or 8 on Wednesday, 4 or 9 on Thursday and 5 or 0 on Friday.

In the second round of the program — scheduled from Sept. 22 to Oct. 31 — an additional 100,000 won per person will be distributed. However, the top 10 percent of income earners will be excluded.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]