Baedal Minjok to accept foreign-issued cards through Apple Pay

Baedal Minjok scooters are parked in front of a Baemin Riders Center in Seoul in 2022. Yonhap

Major online food-ordering platform Baedal Minjok’s operator Woowa Brothers will include foreign-issued cards as a payment method for users of Apple Pay, increasing convenience for foreign customers.

The company said Sunday that VISA, Mastercard, JCB and Amex will become payment options for Apple Pay on the platform starting Tuesday. The upgraded feature is the first in the country’s food-ordering platform industry, according to the company.

The platform, also known as Baemin, has so far allowed only domestic payment cards for Apple Pay. Apple Pay users with payment cards issued outside Korea had to punch in the cards’ numbers and go through an identity verification process every time they used the platform, experiencing time-consuming hassles.

Baedal Minjok's payment method selection window shows Apply Pay as an option. Captured from Baedal Minjok

Woowa Brothers said the latest system upgrade will allow foreigners here to experience the country’s food delivery culture more conveniently.

The payment method expansion comes as Woowa Brothers this year saw a spike in sales from foreign customers. In the first quarter, the number of delivery requests using foreign-issued payment cards jumped 3.7 times from the previous year. In April alone, the sales volume made with those cards spiked 14 times over the previous year.

The company predicts the latest update will further accelerate usage of Baemin by tourists and foreign residents here.

“In addition to our multilingual services and the latest Apple Pay support for international cards, we hope foreign tourists visiting Korea can enjoy a seamless and more convenient experience of Korea’s unique food delivery culture," said Choi Sung-gil, payment product division director at Woowa Brothers.

Woowa Brothers previously launched multilingual support using artificial intelligence-based large language models, allowing Baemin to offer services in English, Chinese and Japanese. On May 21, the company released an English guide titled “Easy Delivery App Guide” to lower language barriers and improve accessibility for foreign customers who do not speak Korean.