After South Korean President Lee Jae-myung came to power, he launched the “People’s Livelihood Recovery Consumption Voucher” distribution plan to strive for economic and livelihood. Starting from today (21), each citizen can get a minimum of 150,000 won (about NT$3,186) and a maximum of 550,000 won (about NT$11,677) in consumption vouchers. It is expected that this policy will revive the economy. On the first day of distribution, many people lined up at offline counters, hoping to get the consumption vouchers faster.
According to Korean media reports, South Korea will issue two rounds of people’s livelihood recovery consumption vouchers. In the first round, the top 10% of the income will receive 150,000 won (about NT$3,186), the general public will receive 250,000 won (about NT$5,310), and single parents or low- and middle-income households will receive 400,000 won (about NT$8,492); those who need to rely on social subsidies for basic living can receive 500,000 won (about NT$10,620).
In addition, residents outside the metropolitan area can receive an additional 30,000 won (about NT$637), and residents in areas with declining populations can receive an additional 50,000 won (about NT$1,062). Therefore, the total amount that an individual can receive ranges from a minimum of 150,000 won to a maximum of 550,000 won.
People can choose to receive subsidies by credit card, debit card (Check card), prepaid card or regional love coupons. If you choose a credit card or debit card, you can apply through the official website or APP of the 9 issuing banks; if you choose a regional love coupon, you can apply online in the APP of the local government where your household registration is located.
The first round of livelihood recovery consumption coupon applications will be conducted online and offline from now until 6 pm on September 12, for about eight weeks. On the first day of distribution, many people rushed to the distribution window of the county and city government to apply for coupons to use, which also caused a queue. Many people interviewed said that “I want to buy shoes”, “I want to pay hospital medical expenses”, “I want to buy vegetables”, “I can use it for drinking coffee every day”.
The scope of use of consumer vouchers is limited this time. Credit cards, checks and prepaid cards can be used in small businesses with annual sales of less than 3 billion won, excluding large supermarkets, department stores and entertainment venues. In addition, if it is the same brand, it can only be used in franchise stores, not in directly-operated stores, so it is necessary to confirm where it can be used. Many stores will post stickers to prove that they are franchise stores that can be used, such as convenience stores, drugstores, fast food restaurants, etc.
