South Korean mobile operator LG Uplus unveiled a new version of its mobile payment service and revealed it is in discussions to expand internationally, starting in China, said The Korea Times.

The operator announced Paynow Plus, an upgrade to its existing payment service Paynow, which was released in November last year.

The upgrade is designed to comply with Korean government regulations. Its personal authentication methods have passed muster with a review by the Financial Services Commission.

And South Korea’s number three operator is talking to a number of leading credit card firms and other financial institutions internationally about launching in their domestic markets.

“We are considering China as our first target and it will be launched in the country very soon, though I cannot specify the exact timing,” said Baek Young-nahn, vice president of the e-commerce unit at LG Uplus.

Regulations in international markets are often different to Korea which has a range of regulations such as public authentication certificates, said LG Uplus.

The operator needs to work with Chinese financial institutions and card firms, which would also mean Chinese visitors could make mobile or online payments via Paynow when visiting Korea.

After China, the operator is also considering North American or European markets.

Paynow competes with the likes of PayPal and Alipay which have both launched in Korea.