Apple Pay available at Olive Young

An Olive Young store in central Seoul [CJ OLIVE YOUNG]

Apple Pay became available at CJ Olive Young, a health and beauty store franchise, nationwide from Wednesday.

The company said customers will be able to make payments via Apple devices, including iPhones and iPads, without physical payment cards.

“We’ve come to adopt Apple Pay at our stores as Generation Z, born between mid-1990s through the early 2010s, largely use iPhones,” said CJ Olive Young in a statement.

iPhones account for 65 percent of smartphones used by those between 18 and 29 years old, according to recent research by Gallup Korea.

Apple Pay became available in Korea in March last year through a partnership with Hyundai Card.

The payment option is available at convenience stores and cafes. Apple Pay faced hurdles to instantly become available nationwide due to a lack of devices at businesses capable of near-field communication, short-range wireless connectivity technology needed to process the payment.

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]