S. Korea offers US$ 143 mil. of discounts in 8 sectors to boost spending

코로나19 경기침체에 정부 '1700억원 할인쿠폰' 이번주부터 적용Not only that, the South Korean government will start offering discounts for people to eat out, watch concerts, travel, and buy food products starting this Friday as the country begins the long weekend.This... to revive the domestic economy hit by the Covid-19 outbreak,Dine out to help out. The government expects the campaign to lead to to a boost in spending of over 800 million dollars.Oh Jung-hee reports.With next Monday, August 17th, designated as a temporary holiday, the South Korean government is looking to take this opportunity to encourage spending.Starting this Friday, it's offering discounts for local consumers in eight fields ranging from dining out, to enjoying performances and travelling.18-million people in the country roughly a third of the whole population can get the discounts, but on a first-come, first-served basis.The discounts are worth more than 143-million U.S. dollars in total, and the government expects them to lead to a boost in spending of around 850 million dollars.When dining out, consumers who make five card payments of more than 17 dollars each will be able to get 8 dollars off their sixth payment.The same applies when using cards to pay for delivered food.Consumers can also get discounts for movies, exhibitions and concerts.A discount of 5 dollars per ticket at cinemas... and a 40-percent discount at museums.2-and-a-half dollars off at art galleries and 6 dollars 70 cents off musicals.Also to revive the tourism industry, consumers can get a discount of 25 to 34 dollars when booking accommodation through major websites.There's also a 30-percent discount for local tour packages.One thing to keep in mind is that these discounts are given on a first-come, first-served basis.Consumers may also have to apply for discounts through the websites of the credit cards they use.Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.