Ontong Daejeon 2.0 becomes key payment platform within a month of relaunch

Just one month after its relaunch on Sept. 1, Ontong Daejeon 2.0 has rapidly established itself as a primary payment method for Daejeon residents.

According to the city of Daejeon, total recharges on the Ontong Daejeon platform reached 77.9 billion won ($58 million) in September, while total payments came to 78.9 billion won.

Compared with March — the most recent month in which the cashback program ran for a full month — recharges rose by 13.5 billion won (20.9 percent) and payments increased by 13.9 billion won (21.4 percent).

Usage recovered quickly after the platform relaunched in September with a 15 percent cashback offer, following a two-month suspension of cashback benefits in July and August. Cashback payouts in September totaled 11.08 billion won, up 4.94 billion won (80.4 percent) from 6.14 billion won in March.

Interest in and use of the platform also grew sharply. Registered users rose from about 1.124 million in March to about 1.162 million in September, an increase of 38,000 (3.4 percent). Daily average app users surged 53.7 percent, from 66,517 to 102,238, crossing the 100,000 mark. The figures show that the relaunch of Ontong Daejeon 2.0 has driven both heightened public interest and actual usage.

The platform is seeing the heaviest use in sectors closely tied to everyday life. From January through September, payments at restaurants totaled 102.9 billion won and payments at retail stores reached 93.1 billion won, together accounting for 54.9 percent of all transactions. The data show that Ontong Daejeon has taken hold as a key payment tool connecting residents' daily spending with local small businesses.

New lifestyle services introduced with Ontong Daejeon 2.0 are also drawing strong public response. The Boram Mileage program, which launched Sept. 10, lets users accumulate points through daily check-ins, walking and public transit use, then redeem them through the Ontong Daejeon platform.

As of Tuesday, 87,416 people had signed up, putting the program within reach of its 100,000-user target. Reaching 87 percent of that goal within a month of launch reflects strong interest and enthusiasm among residents.

Daejeon city plans to develop Ontong Daejeon into a civic lifestyle economy platform connecting residents' daily lives with the local economy, moving beyond its origins as a simple cashback-focused local currency.

To that end, the city will continuously monitor the program's effect on driving consumer spending into vulnerable commercial districts and traditional markets, and will improve outreach and participation methods for underused new services to boost engagement.

The city also plans to closely analyze the effects of consumer-promotion events and additional cashback campaigns running from October through December, and to expand links with various lifestyle services — including policy support funds and the mileage program — to increase the tangible benefits residents experience.

"Recharges, payments and app usage have all recovered quickly since the relaunch of Ontong Daejeon 2.0," said Moon In-hwan, director of Daejeon's People's Economy Bureau. "We will continue to develop Ontong Daejeon into a civic lifestyle economy platform that delivers real benefits to residents and drives greater local spending for small business owners in the community."