Woowa Brothers said on Tuesday it is adding English, Chinese and Japanese to the Baemin app language options. It aims to improve accessibility for foreign-language users, including about 20 million annual inbound tourists.

The company said the multilingual support was introduced to create an environment in which customers can use delivery services intuitively without language barriers.

Baemin currently supports payments with overseas-issued credit cards and global easy-payment methods such as WeChat Pay and Alipay+. The company said the number of orders paid through global payment methods in December last year grew about 300 percent from the same period a year earlier. It expects added language support to improve access and usage among foreign-language customers.

Baemin applied large language model (LLM)-based generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology to build a multilingual environment. Rather than translating and replacing text, the system identifies meaning and context across words and sentences. Baemin expects foreign-language users to be able to understand key in-app processes through natural and accurate expressions.

It also plans to improve quality, including translation accuracy, by building tools such as a "menu name dictionary". It is also reviewing expanding multilingual support beyond the food delivery ordering process to other services such as grocery shopping and shopping.

The current foreign-language setting applies to food delivery ordering, including search, store and menu selection, payment and delivery status. Baemin plans to gradually expand the scope of in-app pages covered by multilingual support through updates. It will also refine its customer support system, including reviewing the introduction of an automatic translation function for chat inquiries.

The Baemin app language can be changed depending on the mobile operating system (OS), such as Android and iOS. If the OS is used in a language other than Korean, a pop-up notice will guide users to change the Baemin app language in OS settings when the app runs. Users who had been using their mobile devices in Korean can also change the app language in OS settings.

Baek In-beom (백인범), Woowa Brothers' chief product officer, said he hopes the support will help not only tourists but also foreign-language users staying in South Korea use delivery services more easily, and that South Korea's delivery system will spread around the world. He said the company will continue to make careful improvements to various functions so more customers can enjoy delivery services without barriers to entry.