The Seoul Metropolitan Government is issuing 10 billion won in 'Moonlight Gift Certificates' to ignite consumer activity in the nighttime alley economy. This initiative aims to encourage citizens to visit the 'Seoul Moonlight Night Market,' which combines local food and culture, and to drive spending at nearby shops. This move signifies that Mayor Oh Se-hoon's core strategy for economic revitalization, the '24-hour Economic Vitality City Seoul' concept, has entered the implementation phase to boost sales in alley commercial districts.
On October 19, the city announced that starting at 10 a.m. on the 23rd, the Moonlight Gift Certificates will be available for purchase at a 10% discount through the Seoul Pay+ app. The total issuance will amount to 10 billion won. The certificates can be used from 5 p.m. to midnight at participating stores in six designated commercial districts and their respective administrative neighborhoods.
The focus of this policy is to create new visits and spending in alley commercial districts during the evening hours. It aims to provide discounts to citizens while offering small business owners an opportunity to attract customers, thereby stimulating the nighttime economy and translating into increased sales for individual stores.
The Moonlight Night Market is a flagship nighttime economy project of the city, designed to create commercial areas where citizens can visit and linger in the evening, showcasing the unique food and culture of each region. The city plans to enhance recognition and drive consumption by combining the gift certificates with a joint brand in the six selected commercial districts.
The targeted areas include the Kondae Food Street (Gwangjin-gu), Sangbong Food Alley (Jungnang-gu), Changdong Station Shopping District (Dobong-gu), Sadang 1-dong Food Alley (Dongjak-gu), Sadang Entertainment Moonlight Night Market (Gwanak-gu), and Sinsa Garosu-gil (Gangnam-gu). A notable feature is that the gift certificates connect different alley commercial districts into a single currency.
The usage scope is not limited to the night market areas. It has been expanded to include participating stores in six administrative neighborhoods: Hwayang-dong in Gwangjin-gu, Sangbong 2-dong in Jungnang-gu, Chang 4-dong in Dobong-gu, Sadang 1-dong in Dongjak-gu, Namhyeon-dong in Gwanak-gu, and Sinsa-dong in Gangnam-gu. This design aims to ensure that spending by citizens visiting the night markets spreads to surrounding alley commercial districts.
Unlike district-specific gift certificates, the Moonlight Gift Certificates can be used collectively across the designated six areas without regard to district boundaries. For instance, a certificate purchased while visiting Kondae Food Street can also be used at participating stores near Sangbong Food Alley or Sinsa Garosu-gil. This serves as a means of connecting nighttime commercial activities throughout Seoul.
The related budget faced some challenges during the allocation process. Approximately 1.2 billion won earmarked for the 'Creation and Operation of Regional Night Markets' in the city's second supplementary budget for this year was entirely cut during the review by the city council's standing committee. However, it was restored during the budget settlement special committee review and passed in the plenary session on September 11. The issuance of these gift certificates is a measure to revitalize the nighttime economy following this budget review process.
The benefits for citizens will be realized at the purchase stage. A gift certificate with a face value of 100,000 won can be purchased for 90,000 won, and if the monthly purchase limit of 500,000 won is reached, the actual cost will be 450,000 won. Discounts can be enjoyed by making payments according to the designated areas and times.
The monthly purchase limit per person is 500,000 won, with a total holding limit of 1.5 million won. The validity period is 12 months from the date of purchase. However, to promote nighttime consumption, the certificates cannot be used during daytime hours, and payments are restricted in certain sectors such as exam preparation academies, real estate, and wholesale liquor businesses.
Unused gift certificates can be fully canceled after purchase. If more than 60% of the purchase amount has been used, the remaining balance can be refunded excluding the discount support amount. Gift certificates purchased with credit cards cannot be refunded for the remaining balance. Detailed purchasing and usage methods, along with a list of participating stores, can be found in the announcements on the Seoul Pay+ app.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will also unveil the integrated brand image (BI) for the 'Seoul Moonlight Night Market' alongside the issuance of the gift certificates. This is intended to help citizens easily recognize the six commercial districts as part of Seoul's nighttime economy brand while maintaining their unique local charms.
The new BI symbolizes small lights coming together to form a single moon, representing the connection between various commercial districts and people throughout Seoul in creating the Moonlight Night Market. Initially, it will be applied to the certification stickers for participating gift certificate stores and will be used in future operational guides, promotional materials, and facilities.
The city envisions creating opportunities for visits through discount gift certificates and encouraging citizens to stay and return by showcasing local food and culture. It is expected that spending initiated within the night markets will extend to nearby participating stores, thereby broadening the benefits for small business owners.
Park Kyung-hwan, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Civil Affairs and Labor Bureau, stated that they aim to increase citizens' visits to nighttime commercial districts by linking the Moonlight Gift Certificates with the new joint brand. He expressed the intention to support the spread of consumption generated in the night markets to surrounding alleys.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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