# Zero Pay

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/zero-pay
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-06
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Zero Pay — Seoul Metropolitan Government](https://english.seoul.go.kr/seoul-to-begin-trial-service-of-zero-pay-for-easy-smartphone-payment/)

## Overview

**Zero Pay** is **South Korea's public-sector QR-code-based payment service** launched by **Seoul Metropolitan Government + Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS)** as a **small-business-fee-reduction policy intervention** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Korea, Republic of report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KR)</sup>. Zero Pay's distinctive feature is **0% commission rate for small businesses with annual sales below KRW 800 million** — addressing the SME-burden of card-payment commissions. Zero Pay is accepted at **2+ million businesses including taxis, markets, festivals** + integrates with **WeChat Pay, UnionPay, Alipay+, PXPay Plus (Taiwan)** + other global payment services for cross-border tourist acceptance.

The structural significance: Zero Pay is a **government-policy-driven payment intervention** — Seoul Metropolitan Government launched it specifically to **reduce small-business card-commission burden**. The system operates as **direct bank-account-to-seller-account transfer** triggered by **scanning Zero Pay QR + entering payment amount** — bypassing card networks entirely. **Kakao Pay's announced 2025 integration with Zero Pay** marks major adoption milestone — bringing one of Korea's largest fintechs into the government QR ecosystem. Zero Pay's **integration with Alipay+ at 1.7M Korean merchants** enables outbound Korean-user acceptance at international Alipay+ merchants + inbound international wallet acceptance at Korean merchants. This makes Zero Pay both **domestic SME-policy** + **international tourism-acceptance infrastructure**.

## History

**Background — South Korean payment landscape** <sup>[Korea, Republic of report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KR)</sup>:
- **Bank of Korea (BOK)** — central bank.
- **Financial Services Commission (FSC)** — financial regulator.
- **Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute (KFTC)** — interbank settlement.
- Pre-Zero Pay: high card-commission burden on SMEs.

**2018-2019 — Zero Pay launch** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- Seoul Metropolitan Government initiative.
- Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) backing.

**Direct bank-account-to-seller-account model** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- Bypasses card networks.
- 0% commission for sub-KRW-800M-sales SMEs.

**2 million+ merchants** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- Taxis, markets, festivals.

**2023+ — Alipay+ integration** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- 1.7M Korean merchants.

**2025 — Kakao Pay integration** [[koreatimes-2025]]:
- Major fintech joining Zero Pay platform.

## Technical specification

Zero Pay is **Korean government-policy SME-focused QR-payment system** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Operator** | **Seoul Metropolitan Government + MSS** |
| **Currency** | KRW (Korean won) |
| **Architecture** | Direct bank-account-to-seller-account transfer |
| **Commission** | **0% for SMEs <KRW 800M annual sales** |
| **Merchants** | 2+ million |
| **International acceptance** | **WeChat Pay, UnionPay, Alipay+, PXPay Plus** |
| **Major new fintech adopter (2025)** | Kakao Pay |
| **Policy goal** | Reduce SME card-commission burden |

## Use cases

**Small-business merchant payments** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Cardinal — fee-reduction-focused.

**Taxi + market + festival acceptance** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Public + informal commerce.

**Inbound Asian-tourist acceptance** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: WeChat Pay, Alipay+, UnionPay, PXPay Plus interop.

**SME cost-reduction** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Policy goal.

**Cross-border via Alipay+** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: 1.7M Korean merchants accept Alipay+.

## Implementations & ecosystem

**Operator**: **Seoul Metropolitan Government + Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS)**.

**International wallet partners**:
- **Alipay+** (Ant International).
- **WeChat Pay** (Tencent).
- **UnionPay**.
- **PXPay Plus** (Taiwan).

**Korean fintech integrations**:
- **Kakao Pay** (announced 2025).

## Fun facts

- **0% commission for sub-KRW-800M-sales SMEs**: Explicit fee-reduction policy.
- **2M+ merchants**: Substantial public + informal commerce coverage.
- **Seoul Metropolitan Government + MSS**: Government-led intervention.
- **Direct bank-to-seller transfer**: Bypasses card networks.
- **WeChat + Alipay+ + UnionPay + PXPay Plus integration**: Inbound Asian tourists.
- **Kakao Pay 2025 integration**: Major fintech joining.
- **1.7M Korean merchants accepting Alipay+**: Inbound-international substantial.
- **Government-policy-as-payment-rail**: Distinctive design philosophy.

## Comparison

| Feature | Zero Pay (KR) | KakaoPay (KR — private) | Naver Pay (KR — private) | Toss (KR — private) | Alipay+ (international) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **Seoul Gov + MSS** | Kakao Corp | Naver Corp | Toss (Viva Republica) | Ant International |
| Type | **Government QR + 0% SME commission** | Private wallet | Private wallet | Private wallet + bank | Cross-border wallet |
| Commission | **0% for sub-KRW-800M SMEs** | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Merchants | **2M+** | Major | Major | Major | International |

## Status

**Active, government-policy payment-rail** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:
- **Seoul Gov + MSS operator**.
- **0% SME commission** below threshold.
- **2M+ merchants**.
- **WeChat + Alipay+ + UnionPay + PXPay Plus integration**.
- **Kakao Pay 2025 integration**.

## Sources

[1]: https://english.seoul.go.kr/seoul-to-begin-trial-service-of-zero-pay-for-easy-smartphone-payment/ "Zero Pay — Seoul Gov"
[2]: https://thepaypers.com/mobile-payments/zeropay-launches-alipay-in-south-korea--1264177 "Zero Pay Alipay+ — The Paypers"
[3]: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230831026956/en/ZeroPay-Introduces-Alipay-at-1.7-Million-Merchants-in-South-Korea-Promoting-Convenient-Experience-for-Asian-Tourists "ZeroPay Alipay+ 1.7M merchants — BusinessWire"
[koreatimes-2025]: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/biz/2025/03/602_263480.html "Kakao Pay × Zero Pay — Korea Times"

- [1] [Zero Pay — Seoul Gov][1]
- [2] [Zero Pay Alipay+ — The Paypers][2]
- [3] [ZeroPay Alipay+ 1.7M merchants — BusinessWire][3]
- [koreatimes-2025] [Kakao Pay × Zero Pay — Korea Times][koreatimes-2025]
- <sup>[Korea, Republic of report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KR)</sup> `reports/countries/KR-south-korea.md`

## Deployments

Found in the following country reports (grep across `reports/countries/`):

- **KR** — [KR-south-korea.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KR)