Toppan, Raonsecure pilot cross-border VC interoperability between Japan and Korea

Toppan and Raonsecure have launched a digital identity proof of concept (PoC) pilot that generally aims to build a Japan-Korea trust framework for Verifiable Credentials (VCs) interoperability between the two countries.

According to an announcement, the PoC, which begins July 10, will be conducted for university exchange programs with the cooperation of Japan’s Soka University and Chung-Ang University in South Korea.

As the first joint initiative between the two companies for international VC use, the pilot aims to verify from technical, institutional, and business perspectives whether digital credentials such as academic transcripts and enrollment certificates can be used safely and smoothly across the borders of the two Asian nations.

Under the partnership, Toppan will digitally issue various certificates for Soka University students through its VC issuance and verification platform, and verify digital credentials issued by Raonsecure.

Raonsecure, on the other hand, will verify Toppan-issued credentials and also issue certificates digitally for Chung-Ang University students using its blockchain-based digital credential platform OmniOne Digital ID, which recently won a Good Software (GS) quality certification from the country’s Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA).

The technology integration between the two will go a long way in establishing a practical model for cross-border digital credential exchange and significantly reduce administrative friction for students and institutions, they partners say.

As part of their plan, they also aim to establish a method for VC interoperability between Japan and South Korea by 2027 and eventually expand beyond education to overseas employment, tourism, and global business.

“Through this proof-of-concept, we will verify a global digital trust model connecting Korea and Japan and expand the global credential ecosystem into various fields, including education, administration, and finance,” Raonsecure’s CTO Kim Tae-jin is quoted by Chosun Biz as saying.

The joint venture underscores the role of the private sector in cross-border credentials interoperability, trust frameworks as the next frontier for VCs, the convergence of decentralized identity and institutional trust, and the progressive digital identity architecture growth in Asia.

It also addresses the third layer of interoperability in the World Bank’s wallet trust framework policy note, which is legal recognition. This layer holds that credential portability (technical alignment) and signature verifiability (cryptographic trust) are necessary but insufficient, and so credentials must also be legally recognized across borders.

Raonsecure’s collaboration with Toppan comes not long after it sealed a similar VCs deal with the Beautiful School Movement Headquarters and Future&More for the use of its Lifelong Career Data Management Platform.

In April, Toppan concluded a deal with Isara Corporation to develop digital credential verification technology using post-quantum cryptography (PQC).

Article Topics

cross-border data sharing  |  digital ID  |  Japan  |  Raonsecure  |  South Korea  |  Toppan  |  verifiable credentials