In just two days since the launch of the second round of Korea’s consumer coupon registration, over 12.59 million people have already completed their applications.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on September 24 that 27.61% of all eligible recipients had applied for the program, with the total disbursement amounting to 1.259 trillion won.

By payment method, more than 9.06 million applicants chose to receive the support via credit or check card, while approximately 2.23 million opted for local gift certificates, and 1.3 million selected prepaid cards.

Regionally, Jeollanam-do recorded the highest application rate at 33.4%, followed by Incheon at 28.91%, Sejong at 28.91%, and Jeollabuk-do at 28.09%. In contrast, provinces such as Jeju (24.23%), Gangwon (26.08%), and Chungbuk (26.68%) showed relatively lower participation rates.

Starting from September 22, the Korean government opened applications for the second round of consumer coupons, offering 100,000 won per person to about 90% of the nation’s populace. Eligibility is determined based on household combined income in the bottom 90%, with reference to June 2024 health insurance premiums, excluding long-term care insurance.

However, households with a combined standards-based property tax value exceeding 1.2 billion won in 2024, or with total financial income surpassing 20 million won in the same year, are excluded from the benefit.

To prevent initial system overload, a weekday application schedule based on the last digit of applicants' birth years has been implemented from September 22 to 26. On weekends, anyone eligible may apply regardless of birth year.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Yonhap News