Seoul mayor OH Se-hoon announced* for January 1, 2027 a new app for Foreign tourists::OK-Seoul shall help them enjoy seamless public transportation or instant tax refunds without needing any registration to local payment systems. Also wrapped in, the city's existing tourist information and guides - for instance what's already in VisitSeoul app. On paper, it does make a difference, even if you only come for a few hours between planes. So let's see what OK-Seoul delivers from day one and how it aggregates new services over time.
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| Seoul's existing VisitSeoul app |
As always obsessed with city rankings***, OH Se-hoon wants to join by 2030 what he calls the G3 - that's the podium of the Japan’s Global Power City Index. And this app confirms his focus on global attractiveness, as we saw recently** with the revival of Seoul's fabled nightlife.
A more fun, more seamless experience is key to have tourists spend more and come back. The sooner the better to leverage Seoul's golden era: already the clear winner in post-COVID tourism, the capital city keeps posting insane growth rates: +21.6% for the first 8 months of 2026 vs 2025, a year that reached almost 19M Foreign visitors.
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* at a Korea JoongAng Daily event: 'Seoul mayor says 'all-in-one' tourist-friendly payment app could come at start of year'
** see 'From Yeoksam to Jongsam, Citius, Altius, Infirmius'
*** which tend to get ever rosier, see 'Seoul from 'smart city' to 'intelligent city'?'
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