Consumer coupons open tomorrow

[Anchor]

Have you marked your calendars?

Applications for the livelihood recovery consumption coupons, which all citizens are eligible to receive, begin tomorrow (July 21).

It is said that even newborns qualify.
Reporter Kim Ha-eun explains who’s eligible, how to apply, and where the coupons can be used.

[Report]

A dedicated window for consumption coupons has been set up at a community center in Seoul.

Even over the weekend, staff members are at work checking the computer system.

In preparation for the influx of applicants starting tomorrow, they have prepared numbered tickets and placed application forms and informational booklets in various locations.

The first round of consumption coupons will be distributed in varying amounts from 150,000 won to 550,000 won per person.

You can apply in person at your local community center or designated bank branches, or online.

However, during the first week, applications will follow a system based on the last digit of your birth year.

[Lee Kyung-tae/Head of Civil Administration Team, Gaebong 2-dong, Seoul: "There are many elderly residents, so we expect large crowds in the early days. We recommend visiting in the following week or the week after."]

Newborns born after the 18th of last month are also eligible for consumption coupons if they complete their birth registration by the final application date of September 12.

While adults are generally required to apply in person, siblings can apply on behalf of those in nursing homes or other facilities.

If mobility is an issue, home visit applications are also available.

The consumption coupons can be used starting the day after application at stores operated by local small businesses with annual sales under 3 billion won.

[Han Soon-ki/Director of Local Finance and Economy, Ministry of the Interior and Safety/July 15th: "Since this consumption coupon is meant to support local small businesses, it can be used at franchise stores that are directly operated by local self-employed individuals."]

The government has urged the public not to use the coupons for luxury items or other purchases that fall outside the intended scope of livelihood recovery.

This is KBS News, Kim Ha-eun.