1D vs 2D Barcodes — Why QR and DataMatrix Are Taking Over, and GS1 Sunrise 2027

TL;DR

• 1D barcodes (EAN-13, Code 128) store up to ~48 characters in a single axis; 2D matrix codes (QR, DataMatrix) use both axes, holding thousands of characters with Reed-Solomon error correction.
• QR Code (ISO/IEC 18004, royalty-free) leads consumer-facing use cases; DataMatrix (ISO/IEC 16022) is one of the two permitted carriers — alongside GS1-128 — for pharmaceutical serialization under Korea's MFDS drug standard-code rules.
• GS1 Sunrise 2027 is a global capability ambition: retail POS systems worldwide should be capable of scanning 2D formats alongside EAN/UPC by end of 2027. It is a readiness target, not a mandate, and 1D is not being discontinued.
• New integrations built today should enable both QR and DataMatrix alongside EAN-13 to avoid configuration gaps as 2D-primary labels enter the supply chain.

1D vs 2D — Data Density and Damage Recovery

The core difference between 1D and 2D barcodes comes down to which axes carry information, and what that means when a label gets scratched, wet, or wrinkled.

A 1D barcode encodes data in the widths and spacings of parallel vertical bars read along a single horizontal axis. The practical payload ceiling for the most common 1D symbologies — Code 128, EAN-13, ITF-14 — runs between 20 and 48 characters, determined by label width and the printing resolution available. Stretching the payload means stretching the label linearly: every additional character adds physical width. That constraint is not a flaw. For a retail shelf edge or a shipping carton, 13 digits are sufficient to carry a GTIN that resolves against a product database at lookup time.

2D codes spread the encoding task across both axes simultaneously. A QR Code version 40 symbol — 177 modules on each side — can store up to 7,089 numeric characters or 4,296 alphanumeric characters within a single printed square. DataMatrix in its largest configuration (144×144 modules) reaches 3,116 numeric or 2,335 alphanumeric characters. In real production, however, most deployments run at a fraction of that maximum. A GS1 Application Identifier string for pharmaceutical serialization — GTIN plus expiry date plus batch number plus serial number — typically runs 40 to 60 characters. That payload fits comfortably in a 16×16 or 24×24 DataMatrix symbol that prints legibly at 5 mm across, which is why this format is viable on blister pack cavities and ampoule labels where a 1D barcode simply would not fit.

Error Correction: The Operational Difference

In industrial environments, the real advantage of 2D over 1D is error correction capacity, not maximum storage size.

QR Code implements Reed-Solomon error correction at four defined levels:

Level	Recovery Capacity	Common Use
L (Low)	Up to 7% of codewords	High-density print, clean environments
M (Medium)	Up to 15% of codewords	General retail, marketing
Q (Quartile)	Up to 25% of codewords	Light industrial, outdoor labels
H (High)	Up to 30% of codewords	Heavy industrial, pharma, cold chain

DataMatrix ECC 200 — the current generation of the standard — applies its own Reed-Solomon scheme, recovering up to roughly 30% symbol damage depending on symbol dimensions. The exact recovery ceiling varies with the symbol size in use.

A 1D barcode has no inherent error correction. A single bar printed fractionally too wide, a small scratch across the label, or adhesive condensation can produce a misread or a complete no-read. Most 1D symbologies include only a single checksum digit, which detects errors but cannot recover from them — a failed checksum means a rejection, not a second attempt. That dependency on print quality and surface condition is manageable in a clean environment, but it becomes a meaningful operational liability in Korean cold chain logistics, outdoor warehouse yards, or any setting where label adhesion failure and physical abrasion are routine.

In those conditions, switching from 1D to 2D codes with Level H error correction is not a preference — it is the practical difference between a scan succeeding on the first attempt and a worker manually keying the identifier.

Physical Footprint

The minimum reliable print size for a standard EAN-13 barcode on consumer packaging is approximately 37.29 mm wide by 25.93 mm tall at 100% magnification under GS1 specifications. 2D symbologies carry no comparable minimum dimension from the standard itself — the lower limit is set by the imager's optics and the printer's resolution. A 10×10 mm DataMatrix symbol printed at adequate resolution is fully decodable by a smartphone camera or an industrial area-scan imager at close range.

That footprint difference matters directly for Korean pharmaceutical blister packs and ampoules, where available label real estate often measures less than 2 cm across, and for electronics component serialization where a 2D code must fit on a part too small to carry any conventional 1D label.

Why QR and DataMatrix Dominate

QR Code: Open Standard, Global Scale

Masahiro Hara at Denso Wave invented QR Code in 1994, originally to track automotive components through Toyota's manufacturing lines. The design priority was omnidirectional readability — the three finder patterns at three corners of the symbol allow a scanner to determine orientation instantly, without any requirement that the label be presented squarely.

The decision that opened QR Code to mass adoption came later: Denso Wave published the specification as ISO/IEC 18004 and released it royalty-free. Any manufacturer, app developer, printer, or system integrator can generate and decode QR codes without paying licensing fees. That stands in contrast to several earlier 2D symbologies that carried proprietary restrictions limiting uptake. Removing the IP cost removed the primary economic barrier to adoption.

Consumer smartphones completed the equation. Apple integrated native QR decoding into the iOS camera in iOS 11 (2017); Android manufacturers followed. Today, billions of devices worldwide can scan a QR code without installing a third-party application. That installed-base scale created demand for QR codes in payment, marketing, loyalty programs, event ticketing, and product authentication use cases that extend far beyond the industrial tracking problem the code was designed to solve.

GS1 Digital Link — the standard that encodes a product's GTIN into a QR Code URL — is the mechanism by which QR Code is now entering the retail supply chain as a primary barcode carrier. Under GS1 Sunrise 2027, that URL structure becomes the standard payload for retail point-of-sale scanning globally, completing QR Code's transition from marketing novelty to supply chain infrastructure.

DataMatrix: Engineering Precision for Regulated Environments

DataMatrix followed an independent development path. Commercial versions appeared in the late 1980s through RVSI Acuity CiMatrix, and the Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (AIM) adopted it as an industry standard that later became ISO/IEC 16022. DataMatrix has never had meaningful consumer recognition — it is a working code designed for regulated and industrial environments, not for scanning by members of the public.

Two properties give DataMatrix its advantage in pharmaceutical and component serialization. First, encoding density at small symbol sizes is higher than QR Code's. A 10×10 module DataMatrix symbol can encode 6 numeric digits — enough for a short serial number or a product-specific identifier — in a symbol small enough to print on a 2 mm component. QR Code's minimum version starts at 21×21 modules, and its three large finder patterns impose a fixed overhead — at equal module size, DataMatrix achieves higher areal efficiency. A QR symbol fits more data into the same printed box only by shrinking the modules themselves, which raises print-quality and scanning demands. Second, and more practically: the regulated health care supply chain internationally converged on DataMatrix before QR Code reached broad awareness, and regulatory mandates rarely revise their technical specifications once established. The equipment qualification, validation, and inspection infrastructure already exists for DataMatrix in the pharmaceutical world, and switching the carrier symbology would require re-validating all of it.

The GS1 Application Identifier (AI) payload structure is itself symbology-agnostic — the same AI data can technically be encoded in any compliant 2D carrier. But pharmaceutical serialization regulations in Europe and the United States have standardized on DataMatrix as the physical carrier; Korea permits GS1-128 or GS1 DataMatrix, with DataMatrix the common choice on space-constrained unit packaging — and that is the carrier Data Connect most often works with in Korean pharma engagements.

Royalty and Total Cost

For a new deployment in 2026, the IP licensing comparison is simple: both QR Code (ISO/IEC 18004) and DataMatrix ECC 200 (ISO/IEC 16022) are fully open standards with no royalty obligations at the symbology level. Any integrator or internal development team can generate and decode either format without licensing fees.

The real cost differences between QR and DataMatrix deployments come from implementation context, not IP:

• Label print verification: Pharmaceutical DataMatrix labels must meet ISO/IEC 15415 print quality grades that require calibrated verifier equipment. QR Code for consumer applications almost never requires verification at this level of rigor.
• Scanner hardware: Fixed laser scanners cannot read 2D codes of any type. Moving from 1D fixed scanners to 2D requires area-scan imagers or camera-based readers. For operations that have been running 1D fixed hardware, the dominant cost line in a 2D migration is hardware replacement.
• Backend parsing: DataMatrix in pharma carries mandatory GS1 AI parsing requirements. Any backend system that receives scan output must correctly parse the parenthetical AI structure — (01), (17), (10), (21) — which may require middleware development if existing systems pass raw barcode strings without structured parsing.

For integrations built on the Scandit SDK, enabling or disabling a symbology family is a single API call. The iOS example at the top of this page shows the relevant method. The Scandit Docs — Configure Barcode Symbologies (iOS) covers the full SymbologySettings surface. The SDK handles both QR and DataMatrix natively; the integration effort lives in the surrounding workflow, not in the scanning layer itself.

GS1 Sunrise 2027 — Korea's Response

The Global Commitment

GS1 Sunrise 2027 is a coordinated global industry ambition — not a law or country-specific mandate — that retail point-of-sale systems worldwide should be capable of reading and processing 2D barcodes by the end of 2027. It is a capability and readiness target; 1D barcodes are not being discontinued. The primary carrier is QR Code with a GS1 Digital Link payload. The initiative addresses a structural limitation of the existing EAN/UPC regime: a barcode printed on a consumer product today encodes only the GTIN, leaving no room for batch number, expiry date, country of origin, or any of the additional supply chain attributes that downstream participants increasingly need at the point of sale.

A GS1 Digital Link QR Code on the same label encodes all of that within a standardized URL:

https://id.gs1.org/01/{gtin}/10/{batch}/17/{expiry}

The retailer's POS system resolves this URL either against a local item database or against a GS1-compliant web resolver, extracting product information without any change to the underlying data model. The 2D code remains backward-compatible in the sense that the GTIN is still present within the URL — but legacy scanners configured to decode only Code 128 or EAN-13 will be unable to process the richer payload.

For teams running Scandit SDK integrations at retail POS or receiving docks, the practical implication is that Symbology.qr must be present in the active symbology set. Any integration hard-coded to enable only ean13UPCA or code128 will require reconfiguration before 2D-primary labels from suppliers adopting Sunrise 2027 arrive in the incoming goods stream. Auditing symbology configuration before suppliers begin transitioning their label stock avoids the higher-pressure scenario of discovering the gap when production volumes are already at peak.

Korean Pharmaceutical Serialization — MFDS Requirements

Korea's pharmaceutical serialization requirement runs on a separate regulatory track from GS1 Sunrise 2027, but both converge on the same operational conclusion: GS1-structured barcodes carrying serialization data are required.

Under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (식품의약품안전처, MFDS) drug standard-code rules, barcode labeling is mandatory for all pharmaceuticals in Korea. Prescription drugs produced or imported since 2015 that require unit serial numbers must carry GS1-128 or GS1 DataMatrix encoding at minimum the following Application Identifiers:

• (01) — GTIN, 14 digits
• (17) — Expiry date, YYMMDD format
• (10) — Batch or lot number
• (21) — Serial number, unique per unit

This is a regulatory labeling requirement, not a recommendation. Pharmaceutical manufacturers and importers operating in the Korean market must print these codes, verify them to the required print quality grade, and report the serialization data to the Korea Pharmaceutical Information Service (의약품관리종합정보센터, KPIS), operated by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA). Every scanning and verification system at distribution centers, pharmacies, and hospital dispensing points must decode GS1-128 and GS1 DataMatrix and parse the AI field structure correctly.

For Korean pharmaceutical clients deploying Scandit SDK scanning at dispensing or package verification stations, the filtering requirements are precise. The active symbology set must include DataMatrix — and Code 128, since GS1-128 is also a permitted serialization carrier. QR Code can generally be excluded because secondary pharmaceutical packaging in this regulated environment rarely carries QR. The barcode filter should additionally constrain accepted payloads to the expected AI pattern to prevent misreads from logistics labels on adjacent product that may also carry DataMatrix with different payload structures.

GS1 Korea maintains a certification program for scanning equipment and software participating in the Korean drug serialization chain. Data Connect engineers support that testing process as part of a Scandit SDK integration engagement.

Food Traceability — Korean Regulatory Direction

Korea's food traceability framework, administered jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (농림축산식품부, MAFRA) and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, is steadily expanding the scope of products subject to full supply chain traceability requirements.

The current mandate applies to a defined list of categories — processed foods, imported goods under specific HS codes, and certain agricultural products — but the regulatory direction is clear: broader 2D barcode adoption on food primary packaging, driven by the same data enrichment logic that underpins GS1 Sunrise 2027. Major Korean food producers preparing for retail chain shelf compliance are already conducting qualification trials with GS1 DataMatrix and GS1 Digital Link QR codes on primary packaging, treating the Sunrise 2027 retail scanner upgrade cycle as the alignment target.

The practical planning window for food producers is the present. Piloting 2D barcode integration on new product lines or label redesigns now means that by 2026 the printing, verification, and reporting infrastructure is production-qualified before the Sunrise 2027 retail scanner upgrade cycle creates real urgency.

Retail POS Migration — Korean Timeline

Korean general retail is coordinating its POS scanner upgrade program through GS1 Korea's Sunrise 2027 working group. The typical migration path moves through four phases:

1. Hardware audit (2024–2025): Identify fixed omnidirectional laser scanners that cannot read any 2D format and schedule replacement with area-scan imagers or 2D camera-based units.
2. Software update (2025–2026): Update POS middleware to parse GS1 Digital Link URLs and map the extracted GTIN and AI fields correctly to the item master database.
3. Supplier qualification (2026): Test incoming goods bearing 2D primary labels against the updated scanning and database system before commercial volumes arrive.
4. Full operation (2027): POS scanners process 2D-primary labels without any operator intervention or override.

For Scandit SDK deployments within this migration — handheld scanning at receiving docks, mobile inventory counting, or mobile POS applications — the Sunrise 2027 readiness check is fundamentally a symbology configuration audit rather than a hardware replacement. The SDK's camera-based scanning is already 2D-capable out of the box. The configuration step is confirming that QR Code (and DataMatrix for pharma-adjacent workflows) is present in the active symbology set. See GS1 — 2D Barcodes & GS1 Standards for the authoritative technical specifications covering GS1 Digital Link and the broader 2D standard landscape.

DataMatrix vs QR — Decision Guide

In regulated industries, format choice is not actually a choice — the applicable standard specifies the carrier. Where genuine choice exists, the decision reduces to a small number of criteria that are mostly stable across deployment contexts.

When DataMatrix Is the Right Answer

• Pharmaceutical serialization in Korea: MFDS rules require drug standard-code barcode labeling, with GS1-128 or GS1 DataMatrix as the permitted serialization carriers. DataMatrix is the practical choice where unit packaging space is constrained, and the carrier most commonly seen on serialized unit packaging.
• Very small label areas: DataMatrix achieves higher data density at small symbol sizes. Labels measuring less than 5 mm by 5 mm, where a DataMatrix symbol can carry a viable payload but QR Code's minimum version (21×21 modules) cannot fit, make DataMatrix the only option.
• Direct part marking: Laser-etched or dot-peen codes on metal components for aerospace, automotive, and electronics assembly lines standardize on DataMatrix. ISO/IEC 29158 (formerly AIM DPM) explicitly references DataMatrix as the primary symbology for direct part marking applications.
• Established DataMatrix supply chains: If trading partners are already printing DataMatrix, adding QR creates a dual-symbology scanning requirement with no corresponding operational benefit. Matching the existing supplier standard is the lower-complexity path.

When QR Code Is the Right Answer

• Consumer-facing scan interactions: Any application where an end user is expected to scan with a smartphone. QR Code's consumer recognition and native OS support — available on iOS 11 and later and on current Android without a third-party app — make it the default choice for marketing, loyalty, payment, and product authentication.
• GS1 Digital Link retail labels: The Sunrise 2027 initiative is built around QR Code as the GS1 Digital Link carrier for general merchandise. Food producers and non-pharma consumer goods companies transitioning to 2D under Sunrise 2027 should use QR Code.
• High-volume printing without mandatory verification: QR Code's Level H error correction delivers strong label resilience for printing under variable conditions, without the ISO/IEC 15415 verification requirement that pharmaceutical DataMatrix printing must satisfy.
• EAN/UPC migration path: QR Code with a GS1 Digital Link URL provides a clean upgrade from EAN-13 because the GTIN is embedded within the URL structure. The QR code replaces — rather than coexists alongside — the EAN-13 for Sunrise 2027-ready label designs.

Comparison at a Glance

Criterion	DataMatrix	QR Code
Open standard	ISO/IEC 16022 (AIM)	ISO/IEC 18004 (Denso Wave)
Royalty cost	None	None
Max data capacity	~3,100 numeric characters	~7,000 numeric characters
Minimum practical symbol	~2 mm × 2 mm	~10 mm × 10 mm (version 1)
Error correction	Reed-Solomon (up to ~30%, size-dependent)	Reed-Solomon (7–30%, levels L/M/Q/H)
Korean pharma serialization	Permitted carrier (alongside GS1-128); standard choice for unit packs	Not used
GS1 Sunrise 2027 primary carrier	No	Yes (GS1 Digital Link)
Consumer smartphone native scan	Not widely recognized	Yes (iOS 11+, Android)
Direct part marking standard	ISO/IEC 29158	Uncommon

Is 1D Really Going Away?

No — and it is worth being precise about what is and is not changing, because the question comes up in almost every deployment conversation.

EAN-13, Code 128, ITF-14, and Code 39 will continue operating in supply chains at scale for the foreseeable future. High-throughput fixed scanning at conveyor belt speeds — where a laser scanner reads thousands of codes per minute across a sortation line — does not automatically benefit from replacement with area-scan camera systems. The physics and economics of that environment continue to favor 1D in many cases. The globally installed base of industrial 1D scanning hardware runs into the tens of millions of units; normal depreciation cycles alone make a complete replacement impossible within a five-year window.

What is changing is the assumption that 1D coverage alone is adequate for a new integration built today.

A software integration designed in 2025 or 2026 that enables only Code 128 or EAN-13 will begin encountering operational gaps before 2028, when 2D-primary labels from suppliers adopting Sunrise 2027 start appearing in meaningful volumes at receiving docks and POS lanes. The cost of a symbology configuration update — adding QR and DataMatrix to the active set — is low. The cost of an emergency reconfiguration under supply chain pressure, when a supplier has already transitioned their label stock, is substantially higher. Adding both families now is simply the lower-risk planning decision.

In Korean logistics, the coexistence of 1D and 2D is already the operational reality across several sectors. Large Korean logistics operators and e-commerce fulfillment providers process Code 128 waybills at high volumes on the same lines where GS1 DataMatrix pharmaceutical cartons and QR-coded returns labels also pass. The scanning infrastructure in those environments must handle the full range simultaneously — and it does, through Scandit SDK configurations that activate multiple symbology families in parallel with payload-based filtering to route each scan result to the correct downstream system.

The realistic timeline for 1D's operational sunset in Korean retail — if that transition ever reaches completion — is beyond 2035. In industrial and logistics contexts, it is longer still. The business case for replacing functioning 1D infrastructure with 2D before that infrastructure reaches end of life is limited, unless the new labels carry data that 1D physically cannot encode: serialization numbers, expiry dates, and batch information. That is precisely the data that the GS1 Sunrise 2027 readiness target anticipates and that the MFDS serialization rules require to appear on product labels. The sunset is not a decision being made by the industry — it is a consequence of the data requirements that regulators and retailers are progressively introducing.

Korean Market Cases

A Major Korean Logistics Carrier — Waybill and Pharmaceutical Parcel Coexistence

A large Korean logistics carrier processes tens of millions of parcels annually through its national network. The primary tracking identifier on standard waybills is a Code 128 barcode — a well-established 1D deployment optimized for fixed laser scanners at sortation gates and pickup counters.

The complexity appears at the point where parcel logistics intersects with pharmaceutical distribution. This carrier handles cold-chain pharmaceutical shipments that fall under MFDS serialization requirements alongside standard consumer parcels. On a single sortation line, Code 128 waybill labels and GS1 DataMatrix pharmaceutical carton labels pass through the same scanning zone. The system must distinguish between them without requiring operator intervention at each unit — which means configuring the scanner to read both Code 128 and DataMatrix simultaneously, then using the payload structure to determine label type and route data to the appropriate downstream system.

For mobile scanning at carrier pickup points, the Scandit SDK configuration enables Code 128 for standard waybill processing while keeping DataMatrix active for pharmaceutical exception handling. Active symbol count configuration for Code 128 is constrained to the expected waybill identifier length range, suppressing false reads from secondary packaging barcodes on adjacent pharmaceutical product. This is a concrete example of the mixed-symbology filtering scenarios that Data Connect addresses as part of SDK integration engagements.

A Korean E-Commerce Fulfillment Operator — Picking and Returns Processing

A Korean e-commerce fulfillment operator runs facilities that operate at some of the highest scan densities in domestic logistics. Within a single camera frame during high-throughput picking, multiple product barcodes may be simultaneously visible — EAN-13 on consumer items, Code 128 on logistics units, and QR codes on marketplace seller labels. The scanning configuration for this environment requires symbology prioritization rather than exclusive selection: all three families must be active, but post-decode disambiguation must correctly identify which code corresponds to the intended pick operation.

Returns processing at the same facilities introduces a related but distinct scenario. Returns labels are QR codes encoding a structured URL with order ID and return reason. At the returns intake station, the scanner must process the QR returns label while suppressing the product barcode visible on the item underneath it. This is a post-decode filtering problem rather than a pre-scan symbology restriction: both QR and EAN-13 must remain active — the operator needs the product barcode for condition assessment after the return is processed — but the primary capture target must be identified by payload structure rather than symbology type.

These requirements illustrate a key point: the choice of barcode format cannot be evaluated independently of the scanning environment design. Format selection, symbology configuration, and filtering logic are interrelated decisions that need to be addressed together from the start of an integration project.

A Major Korean Retail Chain — Private Brand Label Strategy for Sunrise 2027

A major Korean general merchandise retailer applies GS1-compliant barcodes to its private brand product lines under its own GS1 company prefix. Private brand products have historically carried EAN-13 at the point of sale and Code 128 on logistics units, with no serialization requirement for most SKUs.

The Sunrise 2027 migration creates a specific question for retailers managing their own private brand label programs: at what point does the EAN-13 on a consumer unit get supplemented or replaced by a QR Code carrying a GS1 Digital Link URL? The answer depends on the timing relationship between the retailer's POS scanner upgrade and the label revision cycle for each private brand SKU. Major Korean retailers have publicly committed to participation in GS1 Korea's Sunrise 2027 qualification program, which implies POS scanner updates completing before 2027. For the private brand label design team, the planning trigger is clear: any SKU with a label revision scheduled for 2026 or later should include the GS1 Digital Link QR Code alongside the EAN-13, so the label is Sunrise 2027 ready from the point it is first printed.

For suppliers delivering goods to retail chains under private label agreements, the same logic applies by extension. Under the GS1 Digital Link model, the brand owner registers the GTIN in the GS1 registry and maintains the web resolver record. The label carries only the URL structure — the content behind the URL is the brand owner's responsibility to maintain.

Korean Pharmaceutical Dispensing — GS1 DataMatrix at the Point of Use

The most technically precise Korean use case for GS1 DataMatrix is the pharmacy or hospital dispensing point under Korea's drug serialization rules. When a dispensing pharmacist scans a prescription drug package, the scanning system must execute four sequential steps correctly:

1. Decode the GS1 DataMatrix symbol on the unit package.
2. Parse the GS1 Application Identifier fields from the raw payload: GTIN (AI 01), expiry date (AI 17), batch number (AI 10), and serial number (AI 21).
3. Query the Korea Pharmaceutical Information Service (KPIS, 의약품관리종합정보센터 — operated by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, HIRA) database with the serial number to verify authenticity and confirm the unit has not already been dispensed.
4. Record the dispense event against the serial number in the KPIS database.

This workflow has a non-obvious technical requirement: the Scandit SDK integration must pass the full raw DataMatrix payload — including GS1 AI delimiters — to the application layer without truncation. The backend parsing logic must handle the GS1 FNC1 character that separates variable-length AI fields from one another. Any integration that strips non-alphanumeric characters from the scan result before passing it upstream will corrupt the AI field boundaries and break the downstream parsing.

For teams building serialization-compliant dispensing systems with the Scandit SDK, Data Connect provides a proof-of-concept environment with a test DataMatrix set covering the full range of MFDS-required AI combinations, including edge cases for variable-length fields and maximum serial number lengths. Contact Data Connect about access to that test environment as part of a project engagement.

FAQ

What is the difference between QR and DataMatrix?

QR Code and DataMatrix are both 2D matrix symbologies, but they were built for different jobs and have ended up in very different regulatory contexts. QR Code (ISO/IEC 18004) was designed at Denso Wave for high-speed omnidirectional reading, and became the dominant consumer format after Denso Wave published it royalty-free. DataMatrix (ISO/IEC 16022, AIM ECC 200) was optimized for tiny label areas — a meaningful payload fits in a 2 mm square symbol — and the global pharmaceutical industry settled on it as the serialization carrier long before QR was widely known. In Korea, MFDS drug standard-code rules require serialized prescription drugs (produced or imported since 2015) to carry GS1-128 or GS1 DataMatrix; DataMatrix is the common choice on space-constrained unit packaging. For consumer goods and retail under GS1 Sunrise 2027, QR Code with a GS1 Digital Link payload is the standard path.

How will GS1 Sunrise 2027 affect our operations?

GS1 Sunrise 2027 is a global industry readiness target: POS scanners worldwide should be capable of reading and processing 2D barcodes alongside traditional EAN/UPC by the end of 2027. For any Scandit SDK deployment currently enabling only Code 128 or EAN-13, the required action is to audit active symbology configuration, add QR Code, and validate that the backend can parse the GS1 AI fields embedded in the Digital Link URL. The time to do that audit is before suppliers begin shipping with 2D-primary labels. Data Connect can support the technical readiness assessment in coordination with GS1 Korea.

Are 1D barcodes really going away?

Not on any near-term horizon. EAN-13, Code 128, and ITF-14 will remain on retail shelves and logistics labels well past 2030. GS1 Sunrise 2027 does not retire 1D formats — it adds 2D capability alongside them. High-throughput fixed-scanner environments will continue using 1D for years because the installed hardware base is enormous and depreciation cycles are long. What is changing is whether 1D coverage alone is sufficient for new integrations. A system built today with only Code 128 active will develop operational gaps as 2D-primary Sunrise 2027 labels enter the supply chain.

Which barcode format should I use for food and pharmaceutical products in Korea?

For pharmaceuticals in Korea, drug standard-code barcode labeling is mandatory under MFDS rules. Prescription drugs produced or imported since 2015 that require serial numbers carry GS1-128 or GS1 DataMatrix encoding AI 01 (GTIN), AI 17 (expiry), AI 10 (batch), and AI 21 (serial number); DataMatrix is the practical choice where unit packaging space is constrained. For food products, Korea's traceability framework is moving toward GS1-compliant 2D codes on primary packaging, aligned with the Sunrise 2027 retail scanner upgrade cycle. Food producers should begin GS1 Korea qualification testing well before the 2027 readiness target.

Last Updated

Last updated: 2026-06-10

For implementation support, a proof-of-concept review, or integration guidance for GS1 Sunrise 2027 readiness or MFDS pharma serialization in Korea, contact Data Connect.

let settings = BarcodeCaptureSettings()
settings.set(symbology: .qr, enabled: true)
settings.set(symbology: .dataMatrix, enabled: true)
settings.set(symbology: .ean13UPCA, enabled: false)
settings.set(symbology: .code128, enabled: false)