By Kim Se-jeong
Chinese visitors to Seoul will be able to use public transportation in the city through an app on their own phones, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) said Monday.
The city said it developed the app in an effort to attract more Chinese visitors and improve their travel experience.
The app, available for download beginning Tuesday, can be used on the subway, on buses and in taxis in Seoul and on intercity express buses and trains across Korea.
For now, the service is available for subscribers of China Mobile, China’s biggest mobile communication company. Travelers can download the app, pay for it with their UnionPay credit card and pay the public transportation fees by touching their phones to card readers.
The city government said it is working to expand the service for users of two other companies ― China Unicom and China Telecom ― by early 2017.
“We’re delighted to announce that Chinese tourists can now use public transportation with their mobile phones,” an SMG official said. “The city’s service will continue to make their stay pleasant.”
Chinese tourists take up the largest portion of inbound travelers to Korea. Last year, 5.98 million Chinese visited the country.