Democratic Party finalizes plans for second round of consumer coupons distribution

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Democratic Party finalizes plans for second round of consumer coupons distribution

Published: 02 Sep. 2025, 14:02 Updated: 02 Sep. 2025, 14:52

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung, left, shakes hands with Rep. Shin Jeong-hoon, chair of the National Assembly’s Interior and Safety Committee, during a meeting at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Sept. 2. [YONHAP]

The Democratic Party (DP) and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety finalized plans to distribute the second round of livelihood recovery consumer coupons starting Sept. 22, following a policy consultation held at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Tuesday.

The meeting brought together DP lawmakers and ministry officials to coordinate the rollout and explore ways to enhance the program's local impact.

The consumer coupons are designed to stimulate local economies by encouraging spending at small businesses, traditional markets and neighborhood shops. The government accepted applications for the vouchers from July 12 for the first round.

“The second round of livelihood consumer coupons must achieve its original purpose of enhancing convenience for residents and strengthening self-reliance,” said Rep. Shin Jeong-hoon of the DP, who chairs the National Assembly’s Interior and Safety Committee. “We should also consider issuing product cards that military personnel could use near their duty stations.

"The consumer coupon program and the use of local gift certificates are a major shift in local autonomy policy and field-centered policies of the Lee Jae Myung administration."

The second round of consumer coupons will be offered to the bottom 90 percent of income earners, based on national health insurance premiums, with specific details still under discussion.

Shin also emphasized the importance of rural basic income during Tuesday's meeting. Rural basic income is unconditional cash payments to residents of rural communities regardless of income, designed to revitalize local economies by increasing spending power.

“Rural basic income should not be seen merely as income support for farmers, but as a strategy to prevent regional extinction and achieve balanced national development,” he said. “We should review closely so that the regional-extinction response fund can have a tangible effect on population inflow.”

Interior Minister Yoon Ho-jung said the government will confirm the final distribution plan for consumer coupons on Sept. 12 and begin distribution on Sept. 22.

Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung delivers opening remarks to lawmakers during a party-government meeting with the National Assembly’s Interior and Safety Committee at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Sept. 2. [YONHAP]

“The budget for local gift certificates secured in the second supplementary budget will begin to be deployed in each region from the end of this month,” Yoon said. “We will redouble our efforts to boost local economic vitality.”

Local gift certificates are regional currencies issued by local governments to encourage spending at small businesses and traditional markets within a specific municipality. Consumer coupons typically have broader national coverage and are issued temporarily, whereas local gift certificates are limited to specific regions and operate year-round.

Yoon also addressed the history of the regional-extinction response fund, noting that the system was introduced under the Moon Jae-in administration in 2021 and began implementation in 2022.

The fund supports local governments in rural and depopulating areas to counter population decline. It funds policies to attract residents, raise birthrates and revitalize local economies, aiming to prevent demographic collapse and promote balanced national growth.

“But the initiative could not move forward as planned due to the change in administration,” he said. “Since I took office as minister, I have been drafting reform-based plans and reporting them.”

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 JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]