This file photo provided by KT Corp. shows a prototype of a mobile driver’s license to be used in South Korea.
SEOUL, Feb. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Efforts are underway to enable South Koreans to conveniently verify their identities through smartphones.
The country will begin the ID card mobile verification service on a trial basis in April, with the formal service scheduled to launch through the Government24 public service app in the first half of this year and through the PASS app, widely used for identity authentication in online banking and shopping services, in the second half of this year.
The country’s three major carriers — SK Telecom Co., KT Corp., and LG Uplus Corp. — announced on Thursday that they had signed a business agreement with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to strengthen the security of the ID card mobile verification service as well as to promote a wide range of uses.
This service enables users to authenticate their identities and check key information of their ID cards simply through smartphones even when they’re not carrying their resident registration cards.
Under the terms of the agreement, the mobile carriers and the ministry will strengthen security verification for personal identity and devices, making the service available only with one properly registered smartphone per user.
They will also unite forces to expand the use of this service among public and private institutions.
If users go through the process of verifying personal identity through the Government24 or PASS apps, it’s possible to verify the authenticity of their resident registration cards in the form of showing QR codes and key information of their ID cards on the screen or taking a photo of QR codes.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
