BGF Retail announced on the 23rd that its convenience store CU will start offering dedicated eSIM offline services at more than 18,000 locations nationwide for Korean tourists traveling abroad. In particular, with the recent increase in Korean tourists visiting Japan, demand for eSIM has risen, prompting the company to officially begin selling the dedicated eSIM.
According to international passenger statistics by country from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, 25 million Koreans visited Japan last year, the highest among individual countries. The demand for travel to Japan has increased due to its proximity and the depreciation of the yen.
eSIM is a service that allows users to access foreign wireless networks via QR codes without a physical SIM card on smart devices. It is more convenient than traditional physical card methods, such as SIM cards.
Unlike the previous method where users had to purchase online and separately print the QR code, a QR code for service use is automatically printed on the receipt issued at the convenience store. Scanning and setting up the QR code obtained on the day of departure within Korea allows for immediate access to wireless communication services as soon as the user lands at an airport in Japan.
Users can choose between a data capacity of 1GB or unlimited. The usage period can be selected from options of 3, 5, 7, or 10 days, and the cost varies depending on the duration. The service price is approximately 20% cheaper than the market price of 5,000 won for 1GB over 3 days.
Shin Sang-yong, Head of Team at BGF Retail, noted, "We will strive to become a distribution channel where customers can utilize various convenient services right at their fingertips."