Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Sweating for savings: Korea's exercise incentive program sees participation double
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By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea’s national experiment in paying its citizens to exercise is paying off — so quickly, in fact, that its doubled budget has already run dry.
Participation in Teunteun Money, a government initiative that rewards people with cash-equivalent points for working out, has roughly doubled this year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday. Even after officials halved the reward rate per 30-minute workout session to manage demand, public enthusiasm for the health scheme only continued to climb.
By the end of July, nearly 700,000 citizens had earned points through the system, up from roughly 317,000 during the same period last year. More importantly for public health officials, participants aren't just signing up — they are spending significantly more time exercising. Excluding promotional sign-up bonuses, the average time spent exercising per participant rose by 19 percent year-on-year, adding roughly two additional hours of physical activity per person.
Now in its fourth year, the program, whose name uses a Korean phrase roughly meaning "sturdy money," allows participants to earn up to 50,000 points annually by logging 30-minute fitness sessions. Those accumulated points can subsequently be converted into vouchers for sports equipment, gym memberships and local shop spending.
To keep pace with surging demand, the government doubled the program’s budget this year to 8 billion won ($5.8 million) through a supplementary spending bill. Yet, despite the substantial funding hike, the entire pool of points has already been fully allocated due to overwhelming public interest.
The surge follows a series of key digital and operational upgrades executed by the ministry and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation. A dedicated mobile app launched in March streamlined point tracking while gaining accessibility certifications for older adults and users with disabilities. Integrations with private fitness apps in June expanded eligible activities from traditional running to stair climbing and trail hiking, with outdoor verification expanding further into mountain hiking. Additionally, point redemption was recently expanded to include Gyeonggi Province’s local currency network, boosting usable retail locations by 30 percent to around 80,000 sites nationwide.
“The rapid depletion of Teunteun Money funds through enthusiastic public participation is a meaningful sign that daily sports and fitness are becoming deeply rooted in our society,” said Kim Dae-hyun, second vice minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
He added that the ministry plans to expand support further to lower medical costs and build a sustainable foundation for public fitness.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.