An image of Hyundai Card Check and Hyundai Card Hybrid, featuring Apple Pay-linked rewards. (Hyundai Card) Hyundai Card said Tuesday that EMV contactless payments by its customers have surged roughly 30-fold since the launch of Apple Pay in South Korea in 2023, highlighting how the service has accelerated the country’s shift toward global tap-to-pay standards.The card issuer said the number of EMV-type contactless transactions climbed to around 160 million in 2025 from about 5 million in 2022, before Apple Pay’s local debut. EMV payments now account for a share of Hyundai Card’s total transactions that is five times larger than in March 2023, when Apple Pay was introduced in Korea.Because Apple Pay operates exclusively through EMV-based near-field communication technology, the expansion of compatible terminals has been critical to its adoption. Hyundai Card said it had prepared for the transition well before Apple Pay’s arrival by issuing EMV-compatible cards since 2017. Nearly all Hyundai cards issued since 2022 support the EMV system.Consumer adoption has also accelerated. According to data from Visa, 45 percent of consumers aged 20-59 in major Korean cities used contactless payments in 2024, up sharply from 7.9 percent a year earlier. Awareness of the technology rose to 80.5 percent from 59.8 percent over the same period.The transition is also spreading to public infrastructure. Seoul plans to gradually introduce an EMV-based open-loop payment system across public transportation by 2030, in addition to its current tap-to-pay system, which is not EMV compatible.Hyundai Card added that it had launched two Apple Pay-focused products — Hyundai Card Check and Hyundai Card Hybrid — in April. The company said the cards are the first in Korea specifically designed around Apple Pay rewards and benefits.