Iris scans and street snacks… 'World Chat Pocha' Ikseon-dong pop-up opens

World will run a three-day pop-up event, “World Chat Pocha,” from the 13th to the 15th at “World Space Seoul” in Ikseon-dong, Seoul. The event—combining its human-verification technology, “Proof of Human,” with an offline dining experience—marks the third hands-on World event to be held in South Korea.

Visitors can enter the dining area by scanning their World ID at a QR code installed at the first-floor entrance. Those who have not been verified can receive Orb verification on the spot. The Orb is a spherical special-camera device that scans images of both irises and the face to generate a World ID.

When a user stands in front of the Orb, the device scans both irises and facial images. The collected images are converted into encrypted data consisting of numbers and letters and recorded on the blockchain, while the original images are deleted immediately. Each person can have only one ID, and if the app is deleted without a backup, there is no way to recover the ID.

In one corner of the first floor, a “pocha dining course” is offered. Reservations must be made via Catch Table, and visitors must present their World ID before entry. A fine-dining street-food course overseen by Chef Yang Ju-young will be provided to 200 World ID-verified participants.

The basement will operate as an always-on space for World community members. It is a community lounge where users who have verified their World ID can drop by at any time—even outside the event period—to have coffee or spend time freely.

On the day, the basement also hosted a “Logo Museum” introducing the history of World’s technology along with hands-on game content, and provided information on benefits that allow World ID-verified users to use rewards at six partner stores near Ikseon-dong.

In particular, the event introduces “World Chat,” a chat feature recently added to the World app. World Chat allows users to see directly within the chat window whether the other party is World ID-verified. The aim is to filter out voice-phishing, spam, and messages sent by AI bots at the source.

A wallet function is also provided. World app users can send and receive Worldcoin (WLD) with one another without fees regardless of country. Users who verify their World ID on-site will receive an invite code; each person can invite up to 10 others, and additional Worldcoin worth about KRW 60,000 is paid out per invite.

Park Sang-wook, Korea country manager at Tools for Humanity, said, “We wanted to demonstrate the value of human-verification technology through a space where people can meet and communicate in person,” adding, “In an environment where bots attempt mass bookings, World ID can help users avoid missing out on the restaurant reservation opportunities they want.”