South Korea plans pilot for mobile ID next month

A trial for the issuance of the mobile version of resident registration cards in South Korea is set to begin On December 27.

The government, through the Ministry of Interior and Safety, has announced that the move is part of the national ID system digitization efforts, The Korea Bizwire reports.

The new mobile ID has also been designed with enhanced security features, data protection capabilities and greater user convenience. As part of the data security measures, the government says the ID has been embedded with blockchain and encryption systems to shield against data breaches or illegal access.

Only one ID can be registered on a phone per user and the expiry duration of the digital ID shall be three years, to give room for a booster of the security features. The pilot shall run for two months and will involve nine of the country’s municipalities.

Officials have also explained that the new system, which is provided for by the recently revised Resident Registration Act, will equally make it possible for citizens to apply for mobile versions of their ID cards using physical ones. Citizens who are 17 years of age and above, and who hold a physical card, are eligible. The amendment to the Act sets out a legal framework for the use of mobile IDs in the country.

The mobile ID can be obtained by applicants visiting local ID issuance offices and scanning a QR code, or using an IC chip-embedded card at a fee of 5,000 South Korean Won (US$3.5). The government says it plans to encourage adoption of the mobile ID with the issuance of 468,000 free copies to first-time ID applicants.

Commenting on the move to issue mobile IDs, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min called it “a historic transformation of the resident registration card,” which underscores the country’s push for innovation as a pathway to leveraging its digital transformation potential.

Mid this year, South Korea extended the resident registration cards to compatriots living abroad. The government said at the time that the move was intended to facilitate access to government services back home for them.

The physical format of the resident registration card has been existing for 56 years.

Korea’s mobile ID ecosystem is tipped as a good example for countries building digital ID and digital public infrastructure systems in Southeast Asia and elsewhere.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  data protection  |  digital ID  |  identity document  |  identity management  |  South Korea