Apple's mobile payment service, Apple Pay, is launched in South Korea.

The U.S. tech giant and its domestic partner, Hyundai Card, announced the start of the near-field communication(NFC) payment system service on Tuesday during a special launch event in Seoul.

Apple smart device users who also have Hyundai credit or debit cards are now able to pay at stores equipped with select terminals through the Wallet app on Apple devices or the Hyundai Card app without having to carry plastic cards.

Hyundai Card CEO Chung Tae-young said some 170-thousand people have registered for Apple Pay as of Tuesday morning.

Apple Pay is expected to inject competition in the local mobile payment market, which is currently dominated by the magnetic secure transmission(MST) technology-based Samsung Pay.