[Report] Instant Payment With a Glance: The Technology Behind 'Jensen Huang's' Face-Pay Dinner

The Largest Stationery Fair in Korea, 'Inventario 2026'

Naver Introduces 'Face Sign' Payment

Plans to Expand Facial Recognition Technology Applications

Visitors to "Inventario 2026," the largest stationery fair in Korea held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, are seen lining up on the 14th to enter the exhibition hall. Photo by Sojeong Seo.

"Oh! The payment went through instantly just by showing my face. I don't need a card at all."

Such exclamations could be heard among attendees at Inventario 2026, Korea's largest stationery fair, held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 14th. After purchasing goods at the venue, a user completed payment in just one second by facing the Naver Pay (Npay) payment terminal, 'Npay Connect,' installed at the store. A message confirming the transaction appeared immediately. First-time users of 'FaceSign,' Naver's facial recognition payment service, expressed satisfaction with the fast and convenient payment system.

On this day, Inventario successfully concluded, buoyed by an enthusiastic response from Millennials & Gen Z interested in stationery. The event was organized by 'Point of View,' a stationery select shop operated by the design specialist Atelier Ecriture, and featured Naver's technologies and services throughout the venue as the official sponsor.

On the final day of the exhibition, which the reporter attended, the COEX exhibition hall was packed with young visitors. Those who registered their FaceSign in advance were able to enter the exhibition quickly via a fast-track lane, leading to the unusual sight of people registering for FaceSign on the spot throughout the venue.

Lee Seungju, a visitor in his twenties who used FaceSign for the first time, said, "I recently saw on TV that when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Korea and had a 'Samso' (Samgyeopsal and Soju) meeting, Naver Chairman Lee Haejin paid just by showing his face, without taking out his wallet or card. Honestly, I only learned about it this time, but now that I've used it myself, it's really convenient." Many found it easy and practical, as there was no need to take out a phone, search for a mobile ticket, or display a QR code—just show your face. However, to use FaceSign, users must first activate the FaceSign function in Naver Pay in advance; when the reporter tried to register, there were frequent errors during the initial face recognition process, particularly when taking a photo at a 45-degree side angle.

Visitors are experiencing Naver services at the resting area set up in the 'Inventario 2026' event hall. Photo by Sojeong Seo.

In addition to FaceSign, Naver set up a 'Naver Lounge' at the venue to provide attendees with a space to relax. There was also a dedicated area for Naver Webtoon, offering interactive experiences and highlighting messages about the creative ecosystem.

A Naver representative stated, "We supported the entire online and offline journey of the exhibition—ranging from searching for event information, visiting the venue, purchasing products, and creating review content—through Naver services so that visitors could experience the event immersively." The representative added, "We plan to further expand the touchpoints of FaceSign, Naver Pay's facial recognition entry and authentication technology, going forward."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.