"Buy Duty-Free Goods Without a Passport" Lotte Duty-Free Signs MOU with Road System

KCS Advances Digital Decentralized ID System in Line with 'Duty-Free Industry Revitalization Measures'
Smartphone Authentication Expected for Duty-Free Purchases at Lotte Duty-Free Downtown Store in Early Next Year

(From left) Lee Gap, CEO of Lotte Duty Free, and Jang Yang-ho, CEO of Road System, are taking a commemorative photo after signing an MOU for the introduction of 'Digital Distributed Identity Verification'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] Lotte Duty Free announced on the 27th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Road System to introduce a digital decentralized identity verification (DID) that can replace physical passports at downtown duty-free shops.

Digital decentralized identity verification is an electronic ID system that manages identity verification information distributed across an individual's device, referring to an authentication method where the user directly holds and manages their personal information.

At the 'Mid- to Long-term Business Agreement Ceremony for Expanding the Digital Decentralized Identity Verification Ecosystem' held yesterday afternoon at Lotte Duty Free headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, key officials from both companies, including Lee Gap, CEO of Lotte Duty Free, and Jang Yang-ho, CEO of Road System, attended.

On the 14th, the Korea Customs Service announced the 'Duty-Free Industry Revitalization Plan,' selecting the 'Expansion of Digital Services for Duty-Free Purchases and Carry-on Goods Declaration' as one of the 15 key tasks to enhance public convenience. Accordingly, downtown duty-free shops adopting data linkage protection technology are expected to enable domestic customers to verify their identity and purchase duty-free goods via smartphone authentication without presenting a passport. Lotte Duty Free proactively partnered with Road System, which holds patents for digital decentralized identity verification, in line with government support.

Through this agreement, Lotte Duty Free will introduce digital decentralized identity verification to allow domestic customers to purchase duty-free goods using only smartphone authentication. It is expected to be applied to all domestic downtown duty-free stores of Lotte Duty Free as early as the first half of next year. The company also plans to promote the introduction of the solution to overseas branches and expand collaboration with related industries such as airports, hotels, and casinos.

Road System is the world's only IT tourism venture company holding patents related to passport information generation and authentication based on digital decentralized identity verification. Tourists from over 130 nationalities recognized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) can use Road System's smartphone solution to authenticate their passport information. The company has been recognized for its technological capabilities through various pilot projects with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Science and ICT, and KISA (Korea Internet & Security Agency).

Lee Gap, CEO of Lotte Duty Free, stated, "This agreement will be an opportunity for digital innovation to enhance the convenience of Lotte Duty Free customers," adding, "We will link with tourism infrastructure such as hotels and casinos and expand the adoption of digital technology to global channels in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.