South Korea concludes nationwide rollout of digital ID

South Korea has completed its rollout of digital ID.

All citizens and foreign residents are now able to add a digital version of their South Korean resident registration card to their smartphone, enabling the replacement of the physical identity card.

The country’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety has been launching the digital ID in stages and has now completed the nationwide rollout with the final stages of availability to residents of Seoul, Busan and Gwangju.

“People can get the high-tech ID either by touching their smartphones to their resident registration cards embedded with an integrated chip or scanning the QR code at a community center,” the ministry said in a joint news announcement with the Presidential Digital Platform Government Committee.

“A user is limited to one mobile ID on one smartphone in his or her name, and biometric verification is required to prevent identity theft,” it continued. “A user can immediately call his or her telecommunication service provider to terminate the digital ID in case of a lost smartphone.”

The digital ID has security features such as blockchain and encryption, according to the ministry. Fifteen banks are currently able to accept mobile ID cards as proof of identity, Korea JoongAng Daily reports. The Korea Herald reports that foreign nationals residing in South Korea could use their digital residence cards to handle financial transactions from March 22, according to the ministry, meaning bank accounts could be opened with a digital ID for example.

Korean banks Shinhan Bank, KEB Hana Bank, iM Bank, Busan Bank, Jeonbuk Bank and Jeju Bank will accept digital ID for their services. Shinhan Bank and Jeonbuk Bank will also allow their foreign national clients to use digital ID when accessing online banking services. Other banks such as Woori Bank, NongHyup Bank, Kookmin Bank and the Industrial Bank of Korea will allow the use of digital ID from either mid-April or through to late-June.

The digital residence cards are available for both iPhone and Android devices via the “Mobile IDentification App.” Those with physical residence cards issued before 2025 must visit an immigration office to scan a QR code to receive the digital version. Cards issued after January 1 of this year are embedded with an integrated circuit chip meaning those who possess these cards can simply tap their residence card on their smartphone to get the mobile version.

Raonsecure launches digital badges for university students and faculty

Raonsecure has implemented a digital badge issuance system based on the OmniOne badge at Korea University, according to Chosun Biz.

It is South Korea’s first dedicated website for digital badges, with Raonsecure allowing students and faculty at Korea University to acquire digital badges on the school’s website. Korea University plans to apply the digital badge to extracurricular achievement certificates, completion certificates for specialized programs, Dean’s List scholarships, and other academic programs.

Eventually, Raonsecure plans to expand the business with the issuance of student identity verification IDs using its blockchain-based platform OmniOne Digital ID.

“As it becomes known that Raonsecure is capable of issuing digital badges based on the OmniOne badge as well as identity and qualification verification services linked with the OmniOne Digital ID, inquiries and discussions for business adoption from many educational institutions are increasing, leading us to expect significant business growth,” said Park Jong-moon, head of Raonsecure’s service division.

Hancomwith launch “AI-based” face biometric solution

Hancomwith, a subsidiary of Hancom Group, will be supply an AI-based face biometric product called “Hancom Auth” as it expands into the security business.

Hancomwith signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to supply Hancom Auth to NS Smart, which specializes in hospital automation hardware. Hancom Auth will feature in NS Smart’s hospital unmanned kiosks to enable non-face-to-face identity verification and user identification. The face biometric authentication is expected to enhance the security of health insurance and reduce the expense of issuing medical cards in hospitals.

Hancomwith is providing the face biometric authentication technology, which includes passive liveness verification that has obtained Level 2 certification in the facial presentation attack detection (PAD) test conducted by iBeta, the only one in South Korea to have done so. Hancom became the second-largest shareholder in Spanish biometric company FacePhi last year. With that investment it secured exclusive business rights to sell FacePhi’s solutions under the Hancom brand in APAC.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  face biometrics  |  Hancom  |  identity management  |  Raonsecure  |  South Korea  |  student ID