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More than 98 percent of households apply for relief vouchers

Published: 29 Aug. 2025, 20:17

A sign promoting the use of consumer coupons is displayed at a dried seafood shop at Jungbu Market in Jung District, central Seoul, on Aug. 26. [NEWS1]

More than 98 percent of eligible households applied for government-issued relief vouchers within six weeks of the program’s launch.

A total of 49.69 million people had applied for the “consumption coupons for livelihood recovery” as of midnight Friday, recording a 98.2 percent application rate since the process began on July 21. The total amount distributed so far is 9 trillion won ($6.46 billion).

By payment method, credit and debit cards accounted for the majority, with 34.44 million cases, or 69.3 percent. This was followed by 9.2 million cases or 18.5 percent, in local currency and 6.06 million or 12.2 percent, in prepaid cards. Of the 5.97 trillion won disbursed via credit and debit cards, 78.7 percent has already been spent.

By region, South Jeolla had the highest application rate at 98.72 percent, followed by Ulsan at 98.68 percent and Daegu at 98.62 percent. Seoul, which saw 8.91 million applicants, had the lowest rate at 97.56 percent. Gyeonggi saw 13.31 million applicants at 98.09 percent, and Incheon had 2.97 million at 98.30 percent.

The first round of applications closes at 6 p.m. on Sept. 12. Applications can be made online through credit card company websites, local currency platforms, mobile apps, call centers and automated response systems. Offline applications are available at bank branches affiliated with credit card companies or at local community centers.

A banner promoting the use of consumer coupons hangs at Mangwon Market in Mapo District, Seoul, on Aug. 26. [YONHAP]

The vouchers can only be used at small businesses with annual revenue of less than 3 billion won and cannot be spent at major retailers, department stores or adult entertainment venues.

The government is also preparing to distribute a second round of relief coupons before the Chuseok harvest festival. The second round, scheduled from Sept. 22 to Oct. 31, will provide 100,000 won to 90 percent of the population.

The government has tentatively set the eligibility threshold at 210 percent of the median income, meaning single-person households earning more than 5.02 million won per month, two-person households over 8.25 million won, three-person households over 10.55 million won and four-person households over 12.8 million won are likely to be excluded. Final eligibility criteria will be announced in September.

Unused voucher balances will be reclaimed by the central and local governments after the program ends.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]