Seoul: The value of electronic payments in South Korea reached an unprecedented level in 2025, continuing its upward trajectory driven by consistent growth in online transactions, central bank data showed. The daily average value of payment gateway (PG) services reached 1.55 trillion won (US$1.04 billion) last year, reflecting a 9.2 percent increase from the previous year.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the daily average number of transactions also rose by 11.8 percent on-year to 33.64 million. Both the number of transactions and the value achieved the highest levels since the central bank began compiling the related data in 2007. PG services, which facilitate the transmission and receipt of payment and settlement information in e-commerce, played a crucial role in this growth, allowing the collection of payments from buyers and their ultimate transfer to sellers.
The expansion of PG services was primarily driven by credit card payment processing, accounting for approximately 75 percent of the total value. Additionally, the daily average usage of prepaid electronic payment services increased by 8.0 percent from the previous year to 36.54 million transactions, while their value rose by 11.0 percent to 1.31 trillion won in 2025.