Replacing ID cards with an app... Telecom 3 companies launch PASS 'Resident Registration Card Mobile Verification Service'

Same Legal Effect as Physical Resident Registration Card... First Private Sector Service

PASS Resident Registration Card Mobile Verification Service Registration Procedure. Photo by Telecommunications 3 Companies

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] Resident registration cards are also entering smartphone apps. They have the same identity verification effect as the existing physical resident registration cards, allowing them to be used not only at convenience stores but also for boarding domestic flights or issuing various documents at community centers by replacing the resident registration card with the smartphone PASS app.

The three telecom companies announced on the 9th that, in accordance with Article 25 of the Resident Registration Act, they will provide the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s ‘Resident Registration Card Mobile Verification Service’ with the same identity verification effect as the existing physical resident registration card through the PASS app.

The three telecom companies plan to unveil the PASS ‘Resident Registration Card Mobile Verification Service’ at the opening ceremony of the ‘2022 Korea Local Era Expo’ held at BEXCO in Busan on the 10th.

This is the first mobile resident registration card verification service by a private business operator. The inclusion of the ‘Resident Registration Card Mobile Verification Service’ in PASS is the result of a business agreement signed in February between the three telecom companies and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

This service maximizes convenience by replacing the physical resident registration card. The three telecom companies introduced a mobile driver’s license in the PASS app through the Ministry of Science and ICT’s regulatory sandbox in 2019. However, while it was possible to verify age for purchasing alcohol and tobacco at convenience stores, its use in the public sector was limited, so it did not completely replace the physical driver’s license.

The PASS ‘Resident Registration Card Mobile Verification Service’ can be used exactly like a physical resident registration card for ▲ verifying age in daily life at convenience stores (CU, GS25, Seven Eleven, Ministop), CGV cinemas, restaurants, etc. ▲ domestic airport boarding procedures ▲ identity verification when purchasing and boarding ship tickets at passenger terminals ▲ identity verification when submitting civil petitions and issuing certificates recognizing qualifications at community centers and other government offices ▲ verifying identity in contracts or transactions between individuals.

PASS Resident Registration Card Mobile Verification Service Resident Registration Card Information Verification. Photo by Telecom 3 Companies

The PASS ‘Resident Registration Card Mobile Verification Service’ can be used by logging into the PASS app and going through a simple process including authentication with the three telecom companies’ PASS and entering basic information in the ‘Mobile ID’ menu. Once the resident registration card is registered, the user’s name, date of birth, and address as recorded on the card appear along with a QR code. Selecting ‘Show Detailed Information’ allows viewing additional information contained on the resident registration card.

For example, when age verification is required at a convenience store, the user runs the ‘Resident Registration Card Mobile Verification Service’ in the PASS app and scans the QR code on the screen with the convenience store’s POS reader device. The POS screen then displays the purchaser’s age verification result. Depending on the situation, the QR code’s authenticity can also be checked by scanning it through the ‘Government24’ app.

To prevent identity theft and other fraudulent use, the ‘Resident Registration Card Mobile Verification Service’ is limited to use on only one smartphone registered under the user’s name. Security has been enhanced by blocking screen captures and resetting the QR pattern.

PASS Resident Registration Card Mobile Verification Service Resident Registration Card Authenticity Verification. Photo by Telecommunications 3 Companies

To celebrate the launch of the resident registration card mobile verification service, the three telecom companies will offer generous prizes to customers who register their resident registration cards in the PASS app by the end of this month. Detailed event information can be found in each company’s PASS app.

Meanwhile, the current number of PASS app users is 36 million, and the number of users of the PASS ‘Mobile Driver’s License Verification Service,’ launched in June 2020, is 4.7 million.

The three telecom companies stated, “We hope this service will allow PASS customers to verify their identity more conveniently and safely in daily life,” and added, “We will continue to strive to enable the public to use various IDs through PASS in the future.”