In order to buy a book or a music CD on the Aladin website, all users need to do now is to type in card numbers, valid expiration date and a six-digit authentication number received from a credit card company by text message on the payment window. (image: Kobizmedia/Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Sep. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – Aladin, an online bookstore in Korea, launched a new type of e-commerce payment service for its website on September 17.
Even though the book seller on the Internet has already attempted to introduce the new system in 2009 and again in 2013, it failed to do so since domestic credit card companies did not cooperate with the book-selling company. However, the Korean bookstore ended up creating the new independent service.
In order to buy a book or a music CD on the Aladin website, all users need to do now is to type in card numbers, valid expiration date and a six-digit authentication number received from a credit card company by text message on the payment window.
Customers no longer need to install ActiveX software to buy a book online, which is more comfortable and safer than before. Furthermore, those who do not use Internet Explorer now can buy goods on the website.
Credit cards with Visa or MasterCard logos are now allowed to be used on the website. (image: Kobizmedia/Korea Bizwire)
Korean online payment systems have been stuck in a time warp since they have slavishly depended on Internet Explorer. Without an ActiveX program only available on Windows operating system, therefore, Koreans have not been allowed to buy goods on the Internet. Users of other web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox or Safari in Korea have had to come up with some other ways to shop online, which has caused a great deal of inconvenience.
As the tech-savvy bookstore created its own system, the online payment environment in Korea seems to improve step by step.
“Credit cards with Visa or MasterCard logos are now allowed to be used on the website. It means that most of the cardholders who have BC, KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Samsung, Hyundai, Hana SK, Lotte, Korea Exchange Bank, Woori, Nonghyup or Citi cards can purchase books and CDs on our website with just a few clicks,” Kim Seong-dong, a web planning and marketing manager in Aladin, said.
“Despite the fact that issues on abolition of the current authentication scheme have continuously been raised, I’m afraid that domestic card companies don’t seem to be interested in developing a new payment system. So we couldn’t help getting approvals from two banks in other countries including Hong Kong,” he added.
By veronica Huh (veronicah@koreabizwire.com)
