A multicultural festival in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province. (image: Uijeongbu City Office)
SEOUL, June 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Starting this month, foreigners will be able to register their mobile phones and open up bank accounts with a Korean name.
The government announced Friday that starting on June 8, foreigners with a Korean name inscribed on their alien registration card will be able to use their Korean name for identification when getting a new cellular phone or opening up a bank account.
The new measure will allow some 800,000 foreigners, including Chinese living in South Korea and Korean compatriots with foreign nationalities, to use their Korean names for identification.
The Ministry of Justice enabled the inscription of Korean names on domestic residence cards and alien registration cards in April of last year.
The Korean names, however, could not be used for online identification when registering a new mobile phone or acquiring an I-Pin (Internet-personal identification number).
“We’ve worked with the Korea Communications Commission and other agencies to improve related systems,” the ministry said. “We will continue to make efforts to better the lives of foreigners who are long-term residents of South Korea.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
