Gyeonggi Province New Deal: Public Delivery App Platform with Local Currency Boosts Alleyway Businesses

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung said that the public delivery app being promoted by Gyeonggi Province is a project aimed at improving the inequality structure of data benefits concentrated only among certain companies, adding that this aligns with the direction of the Korean New Deal being pursued by the government.

Governor Lee Jae-myung attended the Korea's New Deal Strategy Meeting held at the Presidential Office's Yeongbingwan on the 13th presided over by President Moon Jae-in, and citing President Moon's remarks that "digital New Deal involves creating a 'data dam' that forms the foundation of the digital economy, and our task is to create an inclusive digital economy by reducing the digital divide," made these comments.

Introducing the public delivery app project as a representative project of Gyeonggi Province's digital New Deal, Governor Lee diagnosed the current situation as "data monopoly being severe with only certain companies collecting and utilizing data while consumers, who are the actual data producers, are excluded," and stated "Gyeonggi Province is promoting the operation of a public delivery app as part of pushing forward with 'citizen-participatory fair digital SOC construction' to establish data sovereignty through citizen participation and create a fair market economy, and is preparing for pilot operations next month."
He continued, "The core of Gyeonggi Province's public delivery app is establishing a virtuous cycle so that the benefits of the data economy return to residents as economic agents," and emphasized, "I will create a structure where consumers, small business owners, companies, and platform workers can all benefit and coexist by improving the inequality structure where data benefits are concentrated among only certain companies and by providing incentives to consumers."

Governor Lee also revealed plans to link the public delivery app with local currency on this day, expressing expectations for local economic revitalization effects.
Governor Lee stated, "Gyeonggi Province's public delivery app is expected to achieve a 'two birds with one stone' effect through linking with local currency to revitalize the local economy," and said, "Local currency has been achieving the effect of revitalizing local commercial districts by transforming consumption patterns from large-scale stores such as large marts to alleyway businesses, which are the capillaries of local economies."
He added, "This is supported by the fact that 64% of BC Card sales occur at stores exceeding 1 billion won in sales, while for local currency, the most usage (36.7%) occurs at stores under 300 million won in sales."
Governor Lee concluded, "The public delivery app will be able to play an exemplary role in creating a fair and healthy market environment by resolving unfairness in the platform industry," and said, "Gyeonggi Province will do its best to ensure that the monopoly of platforms, the core of the digital economy, is mitigated and competition becomes possible."

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province announced its Gyeonggi Province New Deal promotion plan in July and declared that it will invest a total of 5.3842 trillion won (1.331 trillion won from provincial budget) by 2022 in nine key projects and 69 main projects across three sectors: "Returning data to residents," "Low-carbon, together with residents," and "Implementing safety net for residents' lives."
Gyeonggi Province's New Deal policy will proceed in three sectors: digital, green, and dormant New Deal. The province plans to invest 218.5 billion won in the digital sector and 2.7905 trillion won in the "low-carbon" sector. In addition, the province plans to invest 2.3752 trillion won in the "safety sector," which is the core of Gyeonggi Province's New Deal policy.
Gyeonggi Province's public delivery app "Baedal Teukgeup" is a representative project of the digital New Deal policy. Gyeonggi Province plans to introduce pilot services for Baedal Teukgeup in early November.
As a result of pre-registration for franchise stores targeting three pilot project areas in Hwaseong, Osan, and Paju recently, a total of 3,699 applications were received in six weeks, about 20% more than the initial target of 3,000, brightening the outlook for the project.