Government to introduce ‘mobile ID cards’
W725 bil. to be spent by 2022 for digital innovation
The government will spend 725 billion won ($622 million) by 2022 on digital innovation in the public sector, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Science and ICT announced Tuesday.
As part of this, the administration will foster a plan allowing individuals and organizations to store their identification credentials, including resident registration numbers, on smartphones for ease of use when necessary.
This system will no longer require the involvement of intermediaries — mostly government-certified or publicly run entities that manage personal data — according to the ministries.
“With the move, the government hopes to lead an AI-based digital transformation and provide high-quality public services,” Interior Minister Chin Young said during a press briefing.
This comes just a day after President Moon Jae-in pledged to use AI technology in government procedures.
The minister unveiled six ways in which the government can digitize public services — providing personalized services in terms of childcare subsidies or tax cuts, getting rid of paper bureaucracy, engaging citizens to resolve social issues, fostering smart working environments, activating cloud services and establishing open data.
The government has stated that AI technology will help provide onestop packaged financial benefits to individuals who register the birth of a child, or an inheritance.
It will also move to eliminate paper bureaucratic processes and ID cards in the future, by promoting the storage of personal data on smartphones.
According to the ministry, people can verify their identity with information saved in e-wallets on smartphones, enabling accredited certification through mobile devices.
“Smartphones are more secure and convenient compared with plastic ID cards,” an interior ministry official said.
“As the government is well aware of the potential dangers of fraud, we will start with digitizing student and civil servant IDs, and then discuss expanding the range to driver’s licenses and regular ID cards.”
He added that the government expects to save 3 trillion won in costs by replacing 50 percent of paper certificates. “As for plastic ID cards, the government will allow people to use them even after digitization,” he said.
The government said the overall cost for this has yet to be confirmed, but it is estimated to be around 725 billion won by 2022.
“The government has not finalized the entire spending plan, but will allocate 203 billion won to begin the digital transformation of public services next year,” the official said.
Meanwhile, the ICT minister commented that he expected the move to boost growth in the software industry.
“This plan can serve as the foundation for the public sector to lead in digital innovation. It will also contribute to the growth of the software industry,” ICT Minister Choi Ki-young said.