Seoul mayor says 'all-in-one' tourist-friendly payment app could come at start of year

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Thursday that the city's new global integrated payment app, tentatively named OK-Seoul, may begin services as early as the beginning of next year.

“For foreigners, especially those staying in Seoul for a short period, there have been some inconveniences,” Oh said in a keynote speech at the annual Korea JoongAng Daily Forum at The Grand Lotte Seoul hotel in central Seoul. “Simply put, all those issues will be completely resolved next spring.”

Oh responded to a question by Czech Ambassador Ivan Jancarek about making public transportation more accessible to foreigners at the event marking the 26th anniversary of the paper’s founding attended by over 200 people, including ambassadors, business and media leaders and other dignitaries.

“A few days ago, I received a report [by the Seoul government’s working-level officials] that [the app] would be completed in the first half of next year, but I instructed them to try to move up the schedule so that it can be used starting Jan. 1 next year,” the mayor added.

OK-Seoul is set to link overseas mobile payment services with public transportation, tax refunds and tourist information when foreigners download it upon arrival. Plans to release the app were first unveiled last month by Mayor Oh during the “G3 Seoul Plan” announcement, the capital’s sweeping policy package of 100 key tasks with a total investment of 86.1 trillion won ($63.4 billion) through 2030. The name takes after “Global 3” to reflect the mayor’s ambitious goal to elevate Seoul to the top three cities worldwide on Japan’s Global Power City Index.

“Every payment you make in Seoul will be possible through that single app,” Mayor Oh continued, adding that foreigners will no longer have to purchase separate multiday public transit passes or use cash.

In his address, Oh also stressed the capital's policy vision to focus on enhancing citizens' quality of life and happiness through the G3 Seoul Plan, which covers five areas including health, safety, housing, job opportunities and urban space.

“Just 20 years ago, Seoul was once nicknamed The Gray City; even Seoul’s own residents used to call it that,” he said, citing a lack of green spaces and bad air quality, especially when he first became Seoul mayor in 2006.

“Back then, our priority was simply to get the water and sewer systems in place. We had no choice but to focus heavily on infrastructure projects, such as improving roads and building bridges over the Han River."

“For a long time, Seoul was on a relentless drive for growth,” the mayor continued. “But about a decade ago, the shift has changed to maturity — that is, emphasizing the quality of life.”

The reason can be attributed to Korea’s ranking in the World Happiness Report, which has remained mainly in the 50s range for the past decade. Last year, Korea ranked No. 67 among 147 regions.

Since taking office for a fifth term in June — the first Seoul mayor to do so in Korea’s constitutional history — Oh has prioritized making Seoul residents “healthier” both physically and mentally. Referencing research by American psychiatrist Robert Waldinger into the foundation of happiness, Mayor Oh relayed the importance of establishing relationships in our everyday lives, which has since become the backbone to initiatives like “Seoul without loneliness.”

Some policy examples that have already been implemented include the Wrist Doctor 9988 health and wellness app that provides cash incentives to users; the "Fun Station" project, which transforms idle subway spaces into fitness and cultural facilities; and the Seoul Mind Convenience Stores, communal places where residents struggling with loneliness can sit in comfort and enjoy a simple instant noodle meal with one another.

While improving mental health remains the capital’s top agenda, Seoul continues to develop new landmarks as well, such as the Seoul Ring Ferris wheel in Mapo District, western Seoul; the “K-entertainment town” concert venue in Dobong District, northern Seoul; and the “Nodeul Global Art Island” project slated to turn the island in Yongsan District, central Seoul, into the capital’s next major cultural landmark.

Another focal point is making Seoul a city with abundant green spaces and leisure areas alongside its high-rise buildings and extensive infrastructure.

“Seoul has many mountains, but it actually has a severe shortage of accessible parks,” Oh replied to a question from Khalid Al-Fayad, the third secretary at the Qatar Embassy in Seoul, on pedestrian spaces in the capital.

In response, the city government has created some 1,000 gardens and has plans to expand that to 3,000 by 2030. The capital also prides itself as ideal for running and walking, as it was also named the world’s most walkable city this year according to a survey by the British media company Time Out.

“For runners or bikers, the most frustrating thing is when they’re forced to stop at a red light,” Oh said. “But in paths alongside Han River or Cheonggyecheon, there’s no need to stop.”

Seoul currently sits at No. 6 on the Japanese city index, which evaluates cities in terms of competitiveness. Mayor Oh reiterated that his goal is to reach No. 5 by the end of this year and No. 3 by the end of his term.

That aspiration to become one of the world’s top three metropolises may be closer within reach than it would initially appear. A Financial Times report recently highlighted the city as the “new Paris for university students living abroad.”

“Seoul is now a city where people want to live in […] like how living in the United States was once something people dreamed of,” Oh said, pointing to the capital’s safety, digital infrastructure and public transportation as significant motives.

“The Korean Wave may be the gateway that draws people to Seoul, but many visitors find themselves wanting to live here even for a couple of months or years to enrich their life experiences, especially when they’re young.”

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]