소비 늘려 경기 살리자…26일~7월 12일 '대한민국 동행세일' 개막
If you are watching us in South Korea, there are some big bargains available now as part of a nationwide retail event that kicked off on Friday.
It's aimed at boosting consumption, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Eum Ji-young was at one of the first local onsite events held in Busan.
From homemade food to home appliances, a wide range of local products are on sale at bargain prices at the 'Busan Brand Festa'.
"This festival is to help citizens who suffered from the COVID-19 outbreak and spur domestic consumption to help the economy recover."
One seller said this is a great opportunity that will help his business amid the outbreak.
"I've been going through a hard time due to the outbreak, but since the government is holding the event to spur consumption, I expect the situation to get better."
As this is the first large-scale retail festival during the pandemic, organizers are taking extra precautions and disinfection measures.
At a section called “live station”, live shows promoting local goods are broadcast online for those consumers who are not onsite.
Busan Brand Festa is part of massive campaign dubbed the 'Korea Donghaeng Sale' which runs from Friday until July 12. The Korean word 'Donghaeng' means to go along together. More than 5,000 retailers are taking part across the country, from conglomerates to local stores.
Consumers can get the biggest discount online under the theme of 'buy value and live together', where small and medium-sized firms are pitching whopping discounts of up to 99 percent.
Neighborhood grocery stores are selling vegetables at up to 10-percent below their wholesale prices.
At traditional marketplaces, consumers will be getting 20-percent of all the money they spend back...in the form of local gift certificates.
And major supermarkets, department stores, online shopping malls, electronics manufacturers, and automakers are providing special deals as well.
At some local events, celebrities will be on hand to promote local products, details of which can be found on the Korea Donghaeng Sale website.
Eum Ji-young, Arirang News Busan.