But how widely are they being used in Korea,... a country known for its high Internet rates...

and early adoption of mobile technology? Kwon Jang-Ho looks at the numbers.

Instead of reaching for the wallet, more and more people are pulling out their phones when

approaching the payment counter. A recent survey conducted by the Bank of Korea

found that one in six adults are now using mobile payment services for both online and

offline purchases. It's a relatively new trend that's come with

the rise of smartphones and digital wallet services, such as Samsung and Apple Pay.

Over half of users said they had only started using mobile payment options within the last

year. Among them... 44-percent said they use the

service up to three times a month, and 23-percent up to twice a week.

Industry data shows over 5-billion U.S. dollars worth of shopping was done on mobile phones

with mobile payment services in the third quarter of 2015, up 58% percent from the previous

year.

Mobile banking is also widely used these days. There are over 60 million mobile banking accounts

in Korea... and according to the central bank's survey, nearly half of respondents used the

services at least twice a week. But there are still many who've chosen not

to make the digital leap. When asked why, they cited personal data leaks,

mistrust of safety features, and mistaken transactions as their biggest concerns.

A Bank of Korea official said more will need to be done to make Internet banking more convenient

and safe... so more consumers feel comfortable in adopting the services.

Kwon Jang-Ho, Arirang News.