South Korea's national experiment in paying citizens to exercise is showing rapid results, with participation in the Teunteun Money program nearly doubling this year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday. The program's budget, doubled to 8 billion won ($5.8 million), has already been fully allocated due to overwhelming demand.
By the end of July, nearly 700,000 citizens had earned points through the system, up from about 317,000 in the same period last year. Excluding promotional sign-up bonuses, the average time spent exercising per participant rose 19 percent year-on-year, adding roughly two additional hours of physical activity per person.
Now in its fourth year, the program rewards participants with up to 50,000 points annually for logging 30-minute fitness sessions. Points can be converted into vouchers for sports equipment, gym memberships, and local shop spending. To manage demand, officials halved the reward rate per session, but enthusiasm continued to climb.
The surge follows digital upgrades, including a dedicated mobile app launched in March and integrations with private fitness apps in June, expanding eligible activities to stair climbing and trail hiking. Point redemption was also expanded to include Gyeonggi Province's local currency network, increasing usable retail locations by 30 percent to about 80,000 sites nationwide.
Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Dae-hyun said the rapid depletion of funds through enthusiastic participation is a meaningful sign that daily sports and fitness are becoming deeply rooted in society. He added that the ministry plans to expand support to lower medical costs and build a sustainable foundation for public fitness.
Source: koreatimes.co.kr
