Nearly seven million people applied for government cash grants on the first day of submissions, with the total amounting to one-point-27 trillion won or about 917 million U.S. dollars. 

According to the interior ministry on Tuesday, as of midnight Monday, the number of applicants for the so-called consumption coupons was six-point-98 million, or 13-point-eight percent of some 50-point-six million eligible citizens. 

Gyeonggi Province had the largest number of applicants, one-point-88 million, while Seoul was next with one-point-24 million applicants and Incheon stood at No. 3 with 445-thousand.

Seventy-six percent of the applicants wanted to receive the coupons via credit or debit card. 

The ministry said the number of applicants on the first day increased by 40 percent since the last time the government provided cash payouts to boost consumption and stimulate the economy.