The Bank of Korea will begin a real transaction test for digital currency targeting general users. Seven commercial banks will participate in the experiment, and consumers who hold deposit accounts at those banks can participate by opening a deposit token electronic wallet at the bank. The deposit tokens can be used at designated locations such as bookstores, convenience stores, and coffee shops.
On the 24th, the Bank of Korea, the Financial Services Commission, and the Financial Supervisory Service announced their plans to implement a "digital currency test" for general users and will begin pre-registration for participants. Pre-registration will start on the 25th and will be conducted by each bank, with the real transaction test taking place from the 1st of next month to June 30.
Any South Korean citizen aged 19 or older who holds a demand deposit account at a participating bank can join the test. The participating banks include KB Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, Hana Bank, Woori Bank, NongHyup, Industrial Bank of Korea, and Busan Bank. Participation is limited to a maximum of 100,000 people, and pre-registration and issuance of deposit token electronic wallets will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Users who have completed pre-registration can open their electronic wallet non-face-to-face via the participating bank's app starting at 10 a.m. on the 1st of next month. The holding limit for deposit tokens for general users is 1 million won, and the total conversion limit to deposit tokens during the period is capped at 5 million won. After the conclusion of the real transaction, any remaining deposit tokens held by the user will be lump-sum deposited into their demand deposit account.
After linking their demand deposit accounts with the bank, users can convert deposits into deposit tokens and purchase goods and services at both online and offline stores. The places of use include ▲ bookstores (all branches of Kyobo Bookstore, excluding online) ▲ convenience stores (all branches of 7-Eleven, excluding unmanned stores) ▲ coffee shops (Ediya Coffee, about 100 stores concentrated in Busan and Incheon) ▲ supermarkets (6 branches of NongHyup Hanaro Mart) ▲ home shopping (Hyundai Home Shopping, mobile web and app) ▲ K-POP goods (COSMO, PC and mobile web) ▲ delivery platforms (Ddaenggyeoyo, mobile app), etc.
Transactions will be conducted via QR codes, allowing payment (by the user) and receipt (by the service provider) regardless of the bank that issued the electronic wallet. For instance, a user with an electronic wallet from Bank A can make payments at a service provider with an electronic wallet from Bank B. This differs from specific service users who can only make payments at the affiliated stores of that service. Unlike other payment services, the service providers immediately receive sales proceeds like cash and do not pay separate fees to the bank that issued the electronic wallet.
Meanwhile, the program for the digital voucher, prepared in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea Internet & Security Agency, and the Financial Services Commission, will be conducted in connection with community programs and university projects (Seoul, Daegu, Silla University, Busan) that have a significant relation to people’s livelihoods, such as cultural activities, youth support, childcare, and small business support. The procedures for implementing the digital voucher program are currently underway, and details will be provided when real transactions commence.
A Bank of Korea official noted, "After the conclusion of this real transaction, we plan to reflect on the necessary improvements gathered from users' feedback and to refine the system before conducting additional real transaction tests," adding, "The real transaction test will aim to discover and apply additional use cases such as person-to-person transfers utilizing programming functions and various digital voucher programs."