NFT tickets via Npay Wallet available at the Jeju National Sports Festival from Friday to Oct. 22

Attendees who verify their visit at opening or closing ceremonies, or at venues, can earn up to 20,000 won in local currency

NFT ticket holders also get free entry or 50% discounts at 24 public tourist sites on Jeju Island

[Naver Pay]
[Naver Pay]

Non-fungible token-based digital tickets will be used at the National Sports Festival opening in Jeju Island on Friday — the first time the technology has been deployed at the event. Attendees can enter venues using NFT tickets issued to their Naver Pay (Npay) Wallet and, by verifying their attendance, earn up to 20,000 won ($15) in "Tamnaneunjeon," Jeju Island's local currency.

Naver Pay announced Wednesday that it will introduce Npay Wallet-based NFT tickets and a visit-verification service at the 107th National Sports Festival, running from Friday through Oct. 22 in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.

NFT tickets can be requested through the National Sports Festival's official website. Users who open an Npay Wallet linked to their Naver account will receive opening- and closing-ceremony tickets in NFT form, allowing them to enter the ceremonies at Jeju World Cup Stadium without a paper ticket.

Venue visits can also be recorded as NFTs. Attendees who visit any of the more than 70 competition venues across Jeju Island during the event can receive a venue-specific attendance NFT. Volunteers will receive a separate commemorative NFT. All issued NFTs can be stored in the Npay Wallet as digital souvenirs.

Attendance verification comes with rewards. Those who apply for a National Sports Festival NFT ticket and then verify their presence at the opening or closing ceremony, or at a competition venue, will receive 10,000 won in Tamnaneunjeon per verification, up to a maximum of 20,000 won per person. The local currency can be spent at restaurants, cafes and traditional markets across Jeju Island.

NFT ticket holders also receive tourism discounts. Presenting an NFT ticket or participation certificate at 24 major public tourist attractions — including Seongsan Ilchulbong and the Jeju Museum of Art — grants free admission or a 50 percent discount on entry fees.

However, NFT tickets are available only to Korean nationals aged 14 and older, in line with Npay Wallet eligibility requirements. Children under 14 may attend the opening ceremony and competition venues with accompanying family members without a separate ticket. Verification methods also vary by venue: at the opening and closing ceremonies, entry is confirmed via a smartphone scan, while general competition venues use near-field communication tags installed on-site.

Npay Wallet is a digital asset wallet service accessible through a Naver account that stores and manages NFT-format tickets. Naver Pay said the system helps prevent ticket forgery and unauthorized transactions. The wallet was previously used for entry at the 46th National Paralympic Festival held in September, and in August it was applied at the Audi Football Summit 2026 and NC Dinos home games in professional baseball.

Naver Pay signed an MOU with the Jeju Tourism Organization last year to promote digital tourism. The two sides are also advancing the digitalization of local tourism through initiatives such as NOWDA, an NFT-based Jeju digital tourism pass.

"It is meaningful to be able to offer NFT-based new experiences to attendees at large-scale events like the National Sports Festival through Npay Wallet," said Lee Mi-young, head of pay infrastructure and business at Naver Pay. "We will continue to expand Npay Wallet-linked services across sports and entertainment, working to deliver new NFT-based content experiences to audiences and contribute to a safer event culture."


snsd@heraldcorp.com