6.97 million people who applied on the first day received consumption coupons… Expected to “be fully implemented next week” with the 5-part system

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Jo Min-jeong and Kang Ae-ran = As the distribution of livelihood recovery consumption coupons began on the 22nd, anticipation is growing among self-employed people and merchants.

Customers who visited stores and other places showed interest by asking whether they could use coupons. However, since the amount given out is not large, there are not many customers who actually use the coupons, but there is an expectation on the spot that"since money has been released, things will get a little better."

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the number of people who applied for consumption coupons on the first day of application for the People's Livelihood Recovery Consumption Coupons was 6,975,642. They received the coupons on the day after applying.

Mr. Jeong (29), who runs a personal cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, said,"We give an additional 10% discount if you pay in advance, and there were customers who asked if they could pay in advance with a consumption coupon, but no one actually paid," and laughed, saying,"Regular customers have expectations that they might be able to use consumption coupons at our store."

A merchant who sold vegetables and fruits on the first floor of a store in front of an apartment complex in Jung-gu, Seoul, answered a customer who asked,"What can I buy with a consumption coupon?" by saying,"You can buy it here or at the side dish store in the basement."

The merchant said,"A person who came a little while ago bought a carton of eggs and 10,000 won worth of vegetables," and added,"Business isn't going very well, but I think it'll help a little since I've got some money to spare."

Stores where people spend more when they have extra money, such as flowers or glasses, are also hoping to see the effects of coupons.

The owner of the glasses store said,"There was a customer who called to make a reservation and asked if he could use a coupon to buy glasses," and "This morning, a customer bought 110,000 won worth of contact lenses."

He continued,"Sales may increase slightly with the consumption coupons," and added,"There may be customers who have been putting off buying glasses but now that they have received the coupons, they may replace their glasses frames with new ones."

However, as only a very small number of consumption coupons have been issued, the atmosphere is still calm.

A convenience store employee in Sadang-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul said,"There were a couple of customers who asked if they could use a consumption coupon in the morning and then made a payment."

A convenience store industry insider said,"Since applications are being processed in 5 parts, there aren't many people who actually received the consumption coupons, so the atmosphere in stores is still calm," adding,"They said that applications can be made regardless of year of birth on weekends, so there are expectations that the use of consumption coupons will become full-fledged starting next week."

Mr. Kim (43), who runs a Chinese restaurant in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, said,"I can't tell if the customers are paying with coupons at the restaurant," and "the atmosphere is no different from usual."

The government will accept the first round of applications for the People's Livelihood Recovery Consumption Coupons online and offline for approximately eight weeks, from 9:00 AM the day before to 6:00 PM on September 12th.

From the 21st to the 25th of the first week of application, applications are accepted on a day of the week basis based on the last digit of the year of birth. On this day, which is Tuesday, applications can be made if the last digit of the year of birth is 2 or 7.