Hana Bank Subsidiary GLN Expands QR Payment Network for International Travelers to Korea

Partnership with Coocon adds 500,000 Seoul Pay merchants, bringing GLN’s QR payment network to approximately 1.5 million merchants across Korea
• QR payment transaction volume and value by inbound international travelers increased approximately 1,000% in the first half of 2026 compared with the second half of 2025
• QR payment usage expands beyond Myeong-dong to emerging shopping districts such as Seongsu
• Mobile QR payment services to be expanded to visitors from the United States, Canada, Singapore, Vietnam and Mongolia later this year

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — GLN International (CEO Lee Suk, “GLN”), a subsidiary of Hana Bank, has expanded its QR payment acceptance network in Korea from approximately 1 million to 1.5 million merchants by integrating with the Seoul Pay network in partnership with Coocon. As a result, visitors to Korea can now use QR payments at even more merchants in Seoul while retaining access to GLN’s existing nationwide merchant network across major tourist destinations, including Busan and Jeju.

Seoul Pay is a QR-based payment service introduced to reduce payment processing costs for small businesses. As an open payment platform, it enables multiple domestic and international payment services to operate through a single standardized QR code.

Beginning August 3, GLN secured access to approximately 500,000 Merchant Presented Mode (MPM) QR merchants through a partnership with Coocon, the operator of Seoul Pay. Combined with approximately 1 million Customer Presented Mode (CPM) QR merchants built through partnerships with Hana Card and other payment providers, the expanded network enables international visitors to make QR payments using their existing banking or fintech apps from their home countries — without exchanging currency or carrying physical payment cards.

GLN’s transaction data shows that QR payment usage by inbound international travelers increased significantly during the first half of 2026 compared with the second half of 2025. Both transaction volume and transaction value through GLN’s QR payment network grew by approximately 1,000%.

The company began expanding its nationwide QR payment network in the second half of 2025 by launching Hana Card QR merchants and integrating with payment terminals operated by Toss and Naver Pay, securing approximately 1 million QR payment merchants. With the addition of Seoul Pay’s merchant network, the total number of QR payment merchants has increased to approximately 1.5 million, further accelerating QR payment adoption among international visitors to Korea.…Read more by CNW Group