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Korea Herald
11-05-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
CU makes convenience global with new visa service
As convenience chains work to redefine their role as lifestyle hubs here, CU is pushing ahead with services aimed squarely at the country's expanding population of foreign nationals. Among the most recent additions is CU's in-store visa support service, launched this month, which links customers with local visa service provider K-Visa. CU is the first convenience store chain in the country to offer such a service. Foreign customers can access the service by scanning a QR code, which connects them to an administrative specialist. Assistance covers a broad range of visa types -- including marriage, employment, investment, immigration and permanent residency -- with multilingual support available in English, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese. The initiative signals CU's intent to use its nationwide footprint to serve the everyday needs of the country's 2.65 million expatriates -- a record figure last year, according to the Ministry of Justice. 'This type of service is part of our broader goal of becoming a lifestyle platform tailored to an international clientele,' a CU official said. 'We want to make everyday life easier for foreign residents.' The visa service is currently in a pilot phase, available at around 50 locations in areas with large foreign populations. CU plans to expand the service to 1,000 stores nationwide by year-end, factoring in user feedback. In addition to visa support launched amid a surge in the expat population, CU is also aiming at foreign tourists, who now represent a significant share of its customer base. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, 3.87 million foreign visitors arrived in the first quarter of 2025 alone, up 13.7 percent from a year earlier. Total inbound tourism reached 16.37 million in 2024, a 48.4 percent jump from the previous year. That surge in arrivals is showing up in CU's store traffic. Transactions with overseas cards at CU, according to the company, surged 177.1 percent last year, with another 54.9 percent increase logged in the first quarter of this year. To accommodate heavier international foot traffic, CU initiated a trial run of its AI-powered interpretation service at select stores in March. The system, accessible via in-store tablets, supports real-time translation in 38 languages, including English, Japanese, Hindi, Czech and Swahili. CU's currency exchange kiosks have also seen a sharp uptick, with usage in April soaring more than 1,000 percent compared to their launch month in late 2023. Meanwhile, the chain's tax refund service has attracted more than 26,000 users since its rollout in 2023. The chain's deepening focus on foreign clientele comes as demand in the convenience store industry begins to soften. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, convenience store sales dipped 0.4 percent in the January-March period, the first such decline since official tracking began in 2013.
Korea Herald
01-05-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
CU launches visa support services for foreign nationals
Convenience store chain CU announced on Thursday that it launched visa support services tailored to foreign residents in Korea, aiming to assist with application processes and enhance accessibility. Offered in partnership with K-Visa, a the country's leading visa service provider, the new service will cover a wide range of needs including marriage, employment, investment, immigration and permanent residency. By scanning a QR code displayed at CU stores and filling out a brief form, customers are instantly connected with a licensed administrative professional who can assist with their specific visa requirements. Support is offered in four languages — English, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese — and users can monitor the progress of their applications in real time, from submission through review to final approval. The service is priced competitively, with fees approximately 50 percent lower than the industry average. Visa extension services, for example, are available starting at just 20,000 won ($14), reportedly the lowest rate in Korea. Initially, CU will roll out the service at around 50 stores located in areas with large foreign populations, including Daerim, Hongdae, Itaewon and Dongdaemun in Seoul. Based on customer feedback, the company plans to expand the offering to 1,000 stores by the end of the year. In addition, CU is preparing to introduce a startup package for foreign entrepreneurs as well as a recruitment support program for foreign job seekers. 'CU is the first in the industry to offer visa agency services, making it easier for foreign residents to manage visa-related tasks at their nearest convenience store,' said Yoo Sung-hwan, head BGF Retail's service platform team. 'We will continue to develop innovative products and services that appeal to both local and international customers.'
