Foreign Cards to Be Accepted for Payment via Naver Pay Linked to Maps
Business Descriptions and Menus to Be Provided with Translation Support
In the future, foreign tourists visiting South Korea will be able to not only use navigation on the Naver Map application, but also make reservations, place orders, and complete payments.
According to the IT industry on the 16th, Naver is preparing to improve its service so that foreign tourists can use reservation, ordering, and payment features when using businesses registered on Naver Map (Naver Place). This upgrade is expected to be implemented as early as around May 29.
Naver supports reservation, ordering, and payment services for restaurants, beauty salons, shops, and other businesses registered through Naver Place. It is also possible to book accommodations or purchase tickets for performances and exhibitions. Reservations, orders, and payments can all be completed in one process through the Naver or Naver Map app. Previously, this service was only available to Korean nationals, but it is now being expanded to foreign tourists as well.
Specifically, the simple payment service 'Naver Pay,' which is linked with Naver Map, will allow users to register credit cards issued overseas as a payment method. Naver is also considering ways to improve the identity verification process required for registering payment methods, as this process can be difficult for short-term foreign visitors.
Business descriptions, menus, and reservation information will be translated and provided through Naver's artificial intelligence (AI) translation service, Papago. While directions and public transportation information on the Naver Map app are displayed in English, Japanese, and Chinese, business descriptions and menus have so far only been available in Korean. This has been inconvenient for foreign visitors to Korea, but this issue is now being resolved.
Naver's move to improve services for foreign tourists appears to be in consideration of Google's application for permission to export high-precision map data. In February, Google applied to the Korean government for permission to export 1:5,000 scale high-precision maps. Google cited its intention to enhance map services for foreign tourists in Korea as its rationale. The convenience of foreign tourists is also a major argument in favor of allowing Google to export high-precision maps.
A tech industry official stated, "If Google Maps begins providing services with high-precision maps, it could affect the market share of Naver Map, a competing service," and added, "Naver appears to be responding quickly." The government is expected to make a decision on Google's map export request around August.
Meanwhile, Naver is working not only to improve the convenience of its map services but also to enhance the quality of its map data. A notable example is the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on May 14 with the National Geographic Information Institute to promote the use of national spatial information and revitalize the spatial information industry. Through this agreement, Naver Map, Naver Labs, and the National Geographic Information Institute plan to cooperate to expand the construction and use of high-precision spatial information. The National Geographic Information Institute is also a member of the "Survey Results Overseas Export Council," which reviews whether Google will be allowed to export map data.
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