National digital ID developments coming from Malaysia, Jordan, South Korea

Governments around the world are taking steps forward with digital identity issuance. South Korea is preparing for decentralized digital IDs, while Jordan has activated half a million of its national IDs, and a state in Malaysia is considering developing its own identity platform.

South Koreans are expected to receive their digital identification cards as soon as the second half of 2024, according to the Korean government. Based on blockchain, the digital ID cards will be issued on smartphones registered under the ID holder’s name and will offer QR codes with the holder’s personal information.

The country also plans to issue digital resident registration cards on mobile phones, the Korea Herald reports. The proposal was adopted on Tuesday by the Cabinet and is now pending legislative approval.

The decentralized digital ID is already in use for credentials such as the mobile driving license (mDL) and people with a certain status in the country have digitized their national ID. As of November 2022, three-quarters of a million Koreans already have a blockchain-based mDL on their phones, Beom Soo Park, deputy director of the Digital Safety & Security Policy Division of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, explained to Biometric Update in an interview detailing the system.

The government projects that digital authentication could bump South Korea’s gross domestic product by 3 percent, or 60 trillion won (US$42 billion) before 2030.

Jordan sees half a million digital ID activations, plans for expats unveiled

After approximately 500,000 Jordanians have activated their digital IDs, the government of the Middle Eastern country is planning to extend the service to its citizens living abroad.

Citizens of Jordan currently have to be physically present in the country to verify their identity by providing fingerprint and iris biometrics, the latter technology provided by IrisGuard. The exact mechanism for activating the digital IDs outside of Jordan will be unveiled soon. As part of the plan, a dedicated team will be stationed at the Queen Alia International Airport and border crossings to assist expatriates in activating their digital IDs, Jordan News reports.

Ahmad Hanandeh, Jordan’s Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, added that over 1.5 million people have signed up for the country’s Sanad application used for activating digital IDs. The goal is to reach all subscribers and enable the activation of their digital identities by the end of the current year, said Hanandeh.

The Arab nation recently signed a deal with biometric registration and payment technology provider IrisGuard, becoming an early adopter of iris recognition to register for digital IDs.

Malaysia state mulls its own digital IDs

Malaysia’s state of Sarawak, the largest among its 13 states, is mulling the creation of its own digital identity platform for online verification, Malay Mail reports.

The Sarawak Digital Identity Platform would issue digital passports and allow them to share credentials with public and private organizations, Abang Johari, premier of Sarawak, said last week during the Asia-Pacific Cybersecurity Conference held in the state’s capital of Kuching.

The digital ID rollout would be coupled with physical cards that would allow access to services in areas with no internet such as rural areas. The Sarawak platform would also fuel the adoption and usage of the state-owned S-PayGlobal, the Sarawak government fintech mobile app platform, said the premier.

Malaysia launched a biometric national digital ID initiative in 2021 which is expected to be in place by 2024.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  decentralized ID  |  digital ID  |  identity verification  |  Jordan  |  Malaysia  |  Sanad  |  South Korea