Hello, this is 속초어때 (Sokcho Eottae). As of 12 noon on Friday, October 2, Sokcho (속초) is 18°C and clear. The high is 19°C, the low 14°C, and today's chance of rain is 0%. A short-sleeved shirt alone will feel chilly in the morning and evening, and one light outer layer is exactly right for this weather. The sea is very calm, with a water temperature of 22.5°C and a wave height of 0.7 m. Today the sun rose at 6:22 AM and sets at 6:08 PM. The sun is setting nearly 10 minutes earlier than it did around Chuseok.
But the news we're bringing today isn't something you have to go outside to get. To coincide with the opening of the 61st Seorak Cultural Festival (설악문화제) this evening, '속초몰 (Sokcho Mall),' the official online shopping mall run by Sokcho City, is releasing 30% discount coupons on all items throughout October. The catch is that this coupon can't be picked up at just any time. The day and time are fixed, and the first round of issuance already passed yesterday. It's a setup that's easy to miss if you don't know about it, so we'll start with the dates.
The coupon comes out 'Thursdays at 10 AM,' exactly five times in October
The 속초몰 discount coupon is issued to 속초몰 members every Thursday at 10 AM. The October issuance dates are as follows.
- Round 1: October 1 (Thu) — yesterday, already ended
- Round 2: October 8 (Thu), 10 AM
- Round 3: October 15 (Thu), 10 AM
- Round 4: October 22 (Thu), 10 AM
- Round 5: October 29 (Thu), 10 AM
In other words, on this Friday afternoon as you read this, there is no new coupon to pick up. If you missed it yesterday, your next chance is six days from now, Thursday, October 8 at 10 AM. It's also worth remembering that four rounds remain. And there is one important condition attached. If the prepared budget is fully used up, the event may end early. That means there is no guarantee all five rounds will open through to the end, and that it is effectively first come, first served. So you should think of it not as 'I'll get it sometime' but as 'I'll get it Thursday morning.'
How much do you need to put in your cart to use the full 'up to 20,000 KRW'?
The conditions come down to two lines. Usable on purchases of 10,000 KRW or more, with a discount cap of up to 20,000 KRW. Looking only at the 30% figure, it seems the more you buy the better, but because there is a cap, the benefit actually feels different in each price range. Here is how the math works out.
- Put in 10,000 KRW → 3,000 KRW discount
- Put in 30,000 KRW → 9,000 KRW discount
- Put in 50,000 KRW → 15,000 KRW discount
- From about 67,000 KRW → the discount stops at 20,000 KRW
- Put in 100,000 KRW → still 20,000 KRW, and the effective discount rate drops to 20%
So the most efficient point is the high 60,000 KRW range. If you put 120,000 KRW worth in your cart at once, the discount rate sinks to the 16% range, but if you split it across two weeks at around 70,000 KRW each, you get a benefit close to the cap both times. Since this is an event where the coupon comes out again every week, if you're planning a big shop, splitting it between the 8th and the 15th works in your favor.
Those who used this event in the summer should be especially careful. Last July's summer event was issued on 'Tuesdays at 2 PM,' over four rounds, with a discount cap of 10,000 KRW. This October, the day and time have changed to Thursdays at 10 AM, the number of rounds is now five, and the cap has doubled to 20,000 KRW. The conditions have improved, but the alarm time you remembered no longer applies.
21 vendors: decide what to buy in advance and you won't be scrambling at 10 AM
Currently, 21 vendors that produce and manufacture their goods directly in Sokcho are on 속초몰. The range of items is wider than you might expect. Sokcho's signature specialties such as dried seafood, jeotgal (salted seafood) and ojingeo sundae (오징어순대, stuffed squid) are at the center, alongside honey, desserts and household goods such as shampoo. The items that were too heavy to carry back from the 관광수산시장 (Gwangwang Susan Sijang) market, and the ones that made you think 'I should have bought that' after returning from your trip, are mostly in here.
Here are a few practical tips.
- Sign up and log in ahead of time on Wednesday — The coupon is for members. If you start by signing up at 10 AM on Thursday, you'll be too late.
- Fill your cart first — If you set things up so that you only need to press pay after getting the coupon, you save a few minutes.
- Order refrigerated and frozen items to match a day you can receive them — October 3 to 5 is a three-day holiday. If you'll be away from home, it's safer to write your preferred shipping date in the memo field. Delivery conditions differ by vendor, so be sure to check the product detail page.
- If it's a gift, register the recipient's address in advance — This is a good time for post-holiday greetings and for gifts of jeotgal before kimjang.
Split it up: the 30% coupon online, the 15% gift certificate offline
If you live in Sokcho or are in Sokcho right now, it's best to use the benefits in two ways. Use the 속초몰 30% coupon for specialties to send home, and the 속초사랑상품권 (Sokcho Sarang Gift Certificate) for the money you'll spend at markets and restaurants. The gift certificate discount rate has been raised from the previous 10% to 15% to boost the local economy, and you buy it in the '지역상품권 Chak' (Jiyeok Sangpumgwon Chak) app. As of September, there were 4,505 affiliated stores in the city. However, the monthly purchase limit is announced differently each month, so the accurate way is to check this month's limit in the app first and then top up. As 속초어때 sees it, these two benefits don't overlap in nature, so using them together in the same month always comes out ahead.
And tonight at 7 PM, Expo Lawn Plaza (엑스포 잔디광장)
The 61st Seorak Cultural Festival, the occasion for this discount, begins with the opening ceremony at 7 PM this evening at Expo Lawn Plaza in Joyang-dong (조양동) and runs for three days through the 4th. Hands-on booths are run by about 55 teams at Expo Lawn Plaza and Seorak Rodeo Street (설악로데오거리).
- October 3 (Sat) The street parade, the signature program, takes place twice on Seorak Rodeo Street, at 2 PM and 5 PM, and from 6:30 PM there are the youth stage and performances by 유나이트 (YOUNITE) and 도트리 (Dotri)
- October 4 (Sun) The closing ceremony at 7 PM with celebratory performances by 솔지 (Solji), 신승태 (Shin Seung-tae) and 거미 (Gummy), followed by fireworks
Sokcho right now: where it's crowded and where traffic is backed up
As of 12 noon, six places are registering as very crowded. They are 켄싱턴호텔 설악 (Kensington Hotel Seorak), 금호리조트 설악 (Kumho Resort Seorak), Deungdae Beach (등대해변), Sokcho Expo Tower (속초 엑스포타워), Sinheungsa Temple (신흥사) at Seoraksan (설악산), and Yeongnangho Lake (영랑호). Even though it's the Friday one day before the first day of the holiday, the Seorak-dong (설악동) lodging complex and the Seoraksan entrance are already busy. As for inbound traffic, all three routes are slow: Misiryeong-ro (미시령로, toward Seoul), Donghae-daero (동해대로, coast and downtown) and Seoraksan-ro (설악산로, toward Seorak).
If you're on your way here today, keep in mind that the sun sets at 6:08 and take your sea photos before 5:30 PM. And from tomorrow through Monday, October 5, it's a three-day holiday. With the festival, the start of the autumn foliage season and the holiday all falling on the same weekend, downtown parking is expected to be a notch harder than usual. That is exactly why we recommend not carrying heavy, bulky specialties by hand and instead receiving them at home with the 속초몰 coupon.
Today we looked at the issuance day and time of the 속초몰 30% discount coupon commemorating the Seorak Cultural Festival, the price range that makes proper use of the 20,000 KRW cap, and today's weather, sea and crowd conditions in Sokcho. Was it helpful? We'll be back next time with even more useful information.
