소비 늘려 경기 살리자…26일~7월 12일 '대한민국 동행세일' 개막<br /><br />Let's start with something a touch lighter than we might normally do.<br />If you are watching us in South Korea, now might be a good time to take advantage of some mega bargains.<br />That's because a massive retail campaign is now on.<br />It's a national initiative to boost domestic consumption, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak.<br />We go to our Eum Ji-young who's in Busan at one of the first local on-site events. How are things looking there, Ji-young?<br />Mark as you said, if you are in the mood for shopping then now's the time as this year's nationwide retail campaign is in full swing.<br />Here at Bexco, in Busan for the 'Busan Brand Festa', there are lots of products on display which can be picked up for a bargain price.<br />There are more than 185 booths showcasing a wide range of products from fashion items to food and home appliances. The majority of the booths are for local companies in Busan.<br />At a section called "live station", live shows promoting local goods are broadcast online for those consumers who are not onsite.<br />As this is the first large-scale retail festival during the pandemic, the organizers are taking virus prevention measures including disinfection work.<br />Aside from this event, fill us in on this nationwide sale campaign that South Korea is holding.<br />What you see in the background is just a glimpse of the retail campaign being held across South Korea, dubbed the 'Korea Donghaeng Sale', which runs for two weeks starting today.<br />The Korean word 'Donghaeng' means to go along together. More than 5,000 retailers are taking part across the country, from conglomerates to local mom-and-pop stores.<br />Consumers can get the biggest discounts online under the theme of 'buy value and live together', where small and medium-sized firms are pitching whopping discounts of up to 99 percent.<br />Neighborhood grocery stores are selling vegetables at up to 10-percent below their wholesale prices.<br />At traditional marketplaces, consumers will be getting 20-percent of all the money they spend back... in the form of local gift certificates.<br />And major supermarkets, department stores, online shopping malls, electronics manufacturers, and automakers are providing special deals as well.<br />At some local events, celebrities will be on hand to promote local products, details of which can be found on the Korea Donghaeng Sale website.<br />This is all I have for now but I'll bring more updates in a later newscast. Back to you Mark.<br />
