Already Used by 5.5 Million People: 'KakaoTalk Wallet'

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Kakao announced on the 27th that the number of KakaoTalk Wallet users has surpassed 5.5 million. This comes just a month and a half after its launch on the 15th of last month.

KakaoTalk Wallet is a service that allows users to store and manage certificates, IDs, and licenses within KakaoTalk. A Kakao representative stated, "Among the private certification services released so far, the subscriber growth rate is the fastest," adding, "We are also close to surpassing 6 million users."

The rapid growth of KakaoTalk Wallet is attributed to the increase in users for year-end tax settlement. After Kakao was selected as a pilot operator for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's ‘Expansion of Electronic Signature in the Public Sector’ project on the 20th of last month, it became possible to log in to the National Tax Service's Hometax year-end tax settlement simplification service using the KakaoTalk Wallet certificate. Beyond year-end tax settlement, users can also use government services such as issuing resident registration certificates on Government24 and the National Complaints Center with the KakaoTalk Wallet certificate.

With the goal of replacing physical wallets, Kakao added new services to KakaoTalk Wallet on the same day. The electronic entry log QR check-in service was integrated into KakaoTalk Wallet. Users can access it by pressing the QR Check-in button next to KakaoTalk Wallet in the KakaoTalk More tab. Phone number verification is required upon first use, and after consenting to personal information terms, a QR code is generated.

Additionally, KakaoTalk Wallet can store 495 types of national technical licenses issued by the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, such as Information Processing Engineer and Korean Cuisine Cook Technician. By selecting the ID/License menu and pressing issue, then agreeing to the terms, users can check the list of licenses they hold. Kakao plans to add national professional licenses such as Real Estate Agent, Certified Labor Consultant, Social Worker, as well as Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry certificates like Computer Utilization Ability and Word Processor to KakaoTalk Wallet in the future.

Meanwhile, with the legal abolition of the status of the public certification, competition to secure the position of the ‘National Certificate’ is intensifying among ICT companies such as the three major telecom operators, Naver, and Kakao. The PASS certification by the three telecom companies has surpassed 22 million cumulative issuances, and Naver Certificate has also exceeded 3 million issuances.