Naver Pay NFT tickets debut at Jeju National Sports Festival
About 13,000 tickets issued for opening ceremony entry and event verification
Visit data management and local economic benefits also on offer
"I came to get the Tamna-neunjeon (Jeju's local currency)."
Outside Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo on Friday, where the opening ceremony of the 107th National Sports Festival was held, a steady stream of visitors clutching smartphones made their way to an NFT digital ticket information booth. Anyone who verified their entry to the opening ceremony with an NFT ticket could receive 10,000 won ($7) in Tamna-neunjeon the following day. Naver Pay staff leaned in alongside elderly visitors to help them navigate their phone screens and obtain their tickets. Though the digital passes were unfamiliar, attendees managed to get them issued without much difficulty with staff guidance.
The 107th National Sports Festival, held in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, marked the first time NFT admission tickets based on the Naver Pay Wallet have been introduced at the event. Visitors could apply for tickets in advance on the National Sports Festival website or scan a QR code at an on-site booth to receive one on the spot. Presenting the QR code on the issued NFT ticket granted entry to the venue. At one side of the booth, prize draws and NFT-themed true-or-false quizzes were also held for ticket holders.
"As long as you're logged in with a Naver ID, you can get a ticket with just two or three taps," a Naver Pay official at the venue said. "It might feel unfamiliar at first, but once you get used to it, it's very convenient."
Unlike paper tickets, NFT tickets require no separate storage, eliminating concerns about loss or damage. They also cut down on paper use since no printout is needed. Blockchain technology verifies the authenticity and ownership of each ticket and restricts transfers, helping prevent fraud such as forgery, counterfeiting and scalping. Visitors store their NFT tickets in a digital wallet linked to their Naver ID and present a QR code at the venue to enter.
The scale of issuance was substantial. According to Naver Pay, 12,871 NFT tickets were issued for Friday's opening ceremony — approaching the venue's capacity of about 13,000. It was the largest NFT ticketing deployment Naver Pay has carried out for any event to date.
NFTs were used not only for opening ceremony entry but also to verify attendance at general competition venues. From Friday through Thursday, events across 50 sports are being held at 74 venues across Jeju Island. Regular competitions are free to watch without a separate ticket, but visitors who verify their attendance on-site can receive an "NFT artwork" — a commemorative image tied to the sport they watched.
At the fencing venue on Saturday, a green sign reading "10,000 won in Tamna-neunjeon as a gift" was on display. Even an elderly visitor using a walker pulled out a phone and tapped it against a circular NFC tag affixed to the sign. The process works by first applying for an NFT digital ticket on the National Sports Festival website, then tapping a phone against the tag at the venue to complete attendance verification and receive an NFT artwork in the Naver Pay Wallet. As of Saturday, 4,400 attendance-verification NFT artworks had been issued across 57 venues covering 37 sports.
The artworks can be kept as mementos after the event, and visitors can collect pieces from multiple sports. "NFTs have an appealing visual quality and tap into people's desire to collect," a Naver Pay Wallet team official said. "The idea is to combine NFT verification and rewards with events that are already free and open to the public, to draw in more visitors."
Another advantage is the ability to manage visit records as data. Unlike simply handing out paper tickets, the system allows organizers to track attendance numbers and time patterns digitally. "Event organizers have the greatest demand for this kind of data," the Wallet team official said. "Analyzing visitor demographics such as age and gender can inform planning for future performances or sports events and for marketing." However, collecting and using personal data requires a legal basis under relevant regulations.
Benefits designed to encourage local spending were also built in. Visitors who apply for a National Sports Festival NFT ticket and either enter the opening or closing ceremony or verify attendance at a general venue can receive 10,000 won in Tamna-neunjeon per verified entry the following day, up to a maximum of 20,000 won per person. Jeju Island covers the cost.
Tamna-neunjeon can be used not only at traditional markets but also at registered merchants across Jeju, including restaurants, cafes, neighborhood grocery stores and convenience stores. At Jeju's Dongmun Market, the currency was accepted at a range of merchants including gift shops, rice cake stores and grocery stalls. Users can also check participating merchants through the Tamna-neunjeon app.
Because Tamna-neunjeon is issued the day after attendance verification, it could encourage visitors to return to Jeju. One visitor who verified attendance at a venue on Saturday said the 10,000 won earned that day would not be credited until Monday — after their departure from the island. "I won't be able to use it this time, but I'll have to come back to Jeju and spend it," the visitor said.
This is not the first collaboration between Jeju and Naver Pay. The two have operated "NOWDA," an NFT-based digital tourism pass, since last year, with about 350,000 passes issued to date. At this year's National Sports Festival as well, visitors who present an NFT ticket or participation certificate can enter free or receive a 50 percent discount at 24 public tourist attractions, including Seongsan Ilchulbong.
"With a regular coupon, the experience ends once it's used, but with an NFT, the visit record stays permanently," said Lee Mi-young, Naver Pay's head of pay infrastructure and business. "That record can be used to offer additional benefits or send advance notifications timed to a visitor's next trip to Jeju."
snsd@heraldcorp.com
