Korea Customs Service uses QR code for exports

[THE INVESTOR] The Korea Customs Service said Aug. 4 it has started using QR codes for goods cleared for e-commerce exports in the latest move to enhance their credibility and prevent counterfeiting.

The customs agency said it began to provide QR codes to logistics companies online earlier in the day so that logistics companies can print out commercial invoices with QR codes and stick them on packages. Foreign buyers can scan QR codes with their smartphones and enter authentication numbers to check whether their goods are exported under the normal procedures.

Packages are being checked by a customs officer at the Incheon International Airport. The Investor/Lee Sang-sub

Currently, six South Korean companies -- including the country’s top cosmetics maker AmorePacific and Maeil Dairies Industry -- use QR codes for exports.

The move comes amid the rampant spread of knockoffs of popular South Korean products in Chinese online shopping malls.

The measure “could boost the credibility of South Korean products among foreign consumers, which in turn could lead to export growth of local companies,” a KCS official said.

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)