From May 1st, the "Buy K Festa" campaign kicks off - the largest event of its kind in Korea. It is a promotional event to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small business owners in selling their products, while also aiming to boost the vitality of the economy.
 
Buy K Festa is now in its fourth year. The festa expanded its concept into a consumer festival enjoyed by the entire nation last year, and achieved over KRW 1.4 trillion in sales through two events in September and December.
 
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister LEE Young), which is in charge of the event, plans to make Buy K Festa a year-long relay by holding it three times this year, starting from the first half. With the momentum of the festival, the sales target has been set to KRW 3 trillion or more, which is more than twice the sales target of last year.
 
This year's Buy K Festa aims to inject vitality into local economies that are still struggling to recover, and to encourage the public to unite and create a strong economic force through small-scale consumption. The campaign slogan, "Together for a Successful Buy K Festa 2023," reflects the message of "Let's gather our strength!" to rally the nation.
 
More than 250 distribution channels that share the same vision have joined the campaign to support sales of products from SMEs and small business owners. This has resulted in an unprecedented number of sales channels being secured. In addition, large companies such as manufacturers, credit card companies, and telecommunication companies are also participating in promoting the campaign.
 
In addition, local governments are collaborating with Buy K Festa to boost the vitality of their regional economies by coordinating local festivals and events. As a result, Buy K Festa will be present throughout the country in May, no matter where you go.
 
Here are the discount and promotional events as well as local festivals that you can enjoy during the first week of May at Buy K Festa 2023, with the slogan "Together for a Successful K Festa 2023."
 
➊ Online Promotional Event with Discounts of up to 50%
 
In total, 203 channels will participate in the online promotional event of Buy K Festa 2023. This includes 52 domestic and foreign online shopping malls, 9 live commerce platforms, 9 'O2O' platforms, 13 public delivery apps, and 60 local government shopping malls.
 
To kick off Buy K Festa 2023, 46 major domestic online shopping malls such as Coupang, Gmarket, Interpark, and Idus are offering discounts of up to 50% on products such as food, baby products, fashion accessories, and beauty products to celebrate "Family Month".
 
In addition, 9 live commerce channels, including WeMakePrice, TMON, 11st, and Grip, which have recently emerged as new shopping platforms, will sell products from SMEs through 91 broadcasts featuring influencers and other participants.
 
TV home shopping and T-commerce, the primary channels for non-face-to-face shopping, will support SMEs participating in Buy K Festa by offering discounted commission fees. Moreover, Public Home Shopping and Home&Shopping will provide additional shopping support to consumers by offering discounts, such as coupons and billing discounts.
 
This year, there is a particular emphasis on enhancing regional economic vitality, and as a result, delivery platforms such as Baedal Minjok, Kakao, Yogiyo, Coupang Eats, as well as KT and LGU+ have participated in large numbers to expand the market for small business owners in the region.
 
You can visit Buy K Festa's website (동행축제.org or buykfesta.org) to explore 300 exceptional products from SMEs and small business owners, which were selected after a fierce competition with a ratio of 2.7 to 1. Moreover, various events, such as the ability to "like" products and giveaways for buyers, are also prepared for those who want to make a purchase.
 
➋ Buy K Festa, Where the Entire Country Comes Together
 
This year's Buy K Festa 2023 stands out with its "regional cooperation" as it aims to boost regional economic vitality by partnering with 30 diverse local events throughout the country to promote local consumption by tourists and enhance the regional economy.
 
A total of 12 local events have been prepared for the first week of May.
 
There are a variety of local events, such as the Icheon Ceramic Festival, Hadong World Tea Expo, Jinju Nongae Festival, and Yeongju Seonbi Culture Festival. Additionally, Ulsan Suam Korean Beef Festival, Yangpyeong Wild Greens Festival, Chuncheon Spring Market, Gwangju Chungjang RA-ON Festa, and Cheonan Soso Market will offer tourists unique experiences and local products for sale through special sales events featuring exceptional regional products.
 
Along with this, eight duty-free shops at Incheon International Airport and policy stores for SMEs will hold special exhibitions of products from SMEs starting from May 1st, and Sodam Sanghoe (smart flagship store) plans to operate a pop-up store in the Seongsu area of Seoul from May 3rd to May 14th.
 
Large retail companies are also participating in Buy K Festa 2023. Major retailers such as E-Mart, Hanaro Mart, and Homeplus, as well as supermarkets such as GS Supermarket and Lotte Super, will hold discount events mainly on food and daily necessities. Convenience stores such as CU, Emart24, Seven Eleven, and GS25 will also have discount promotions. Shinsegae, Hyundai, and Lotte Department Stores will hold exhibitions featuring products from SMEs, and Olive Young has prepared a discount event for SMEs in the cosmetics industry.
 
Additionally, three tire manufacturers (Kumho, Hankook, and Nexen) will take part in the Buy K Festa campaign by offering tire discounts, and franchise companies such as Geoljak Tteokbokki and Tangs Budae Jjigae will be participating in Buy K Festa 2023 for the first time.
 
As Buy K Festa 2023 is an event designed to promote nationwide consumption, the plan is to reduce the burden of purchasing by expanding discounts on Onnuri gift certificates and local currencies. The monthly discount purchase limit for Onnuri gift certificates has been increased up to three times, and local currencies will be sold with higher discount rates and purchase limits, especially in regions where Buy K Festa affiliated events are held, such as Daejeon, Incheon, and Gyeongsangnam-do.
 
Minister LEE Young expressed her hopes for Buy K Festa 2023, stating that she wished for the festival to bring joy to the people through discounts and happiness to SMEs and small business owners through increased sales, making it a success for everyone. He also encouraged the public to take an interest in and participate in the event, which was prepared through the joint efforts of government agencies, local governments, and private companies.
 
You can obtain information about various special sales events and activities related to "Together for a Successful Buy K Festa 2023" through the official Buy K Festa website (동행축제.org or buykfesta.org) or the "동행세일" channel on KakaoTalk.