The number of merchants accepting Onnuri gift certificates has risen nearly 80% in two years, but spending remains concentrated among a small group of outlets. This year, 73.7% of total spending went to the top 10% of merchants, with 37.3% at the top 1% alone. Critics say the expansion has failed to spread consumption across neighborhood commercial districts.
Of the 3.3369 trillion won ($2.4 billion) in total Onnuri gift certificate spending from January through August this year, 2.4592 trillion won was used at 22,581 merchants ranked in the top 10% by spending, according to data submitted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Small Enterprise and Market Service to Rep. Jang Chul-min of the Democratic Party of Korea on the 4th.
The top 1%, or 2,259 merchants, recorded 1.2455 trillion won in spending, or 37.3% of the total. The top 5%, or 11,291 merchants, drew 61.7% of all spending.
The number of participating merchants has grown rapidly, from 125,589 in 2024 to 150,541 in 2025 and 225,803 as of the end of July this year — an increase of about 80% over two years.
The expansion eased concentration only slightly. The share of spending at the top 10% of merchants fell from 78.2% in 2024 to 73.8% last year and 73.7% in the January-August period this year. The top 1% share dropped from 41.6% in 2024 to 35.6% last year before climbing back to 37.3% this year.
The types of goods sold by the leading merchants have also shifted. In 2024, eight of the 10 highest-grossing outlets sold produce, vegetables or agricultural and fishery products. This year, pharmacies dominated the top ranks. Five of the 10 highest-grossing outlets from January through August sold medicines, accounting for 72.7 billion won in spending — 65.9% of the 110.4 billion won recorded by the top 10 outlets combined.
"The Yoon Suk-yeol administration sharply expanded the number of Onnuri merchants and the places where the certificates can be used, but if actual spending is concentrated in a handful of stores, it is hard to say traditional markets and neighborhood businesses have recovered based on merchant numbers alone," Jang said. "The government's shift toward a traditional market focus should channel the foot traffic drawn by popular stores into sales and new customers for small merchants nearby."
