Passport Issuance Guide Gets Smarter! Gangnam-gu Applies Digital Image Technology Nationwide for the First Time

Partnering with PJ Factory to Apply Image Linking Technology 'Detail'
Intuitive Images Easily Explain Even Passport Task Details

Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong) will launch the ‘e-Digital Civil Service Guide’ service from January this year, which consolidates all passport-related civil service information into a single image.

The district partnered with PJ Factory, a company selected through public-private open innovation, and applied PJ Factory’s digital imaging technology called ‘Detail’ to passport services for the first time nationwide. Detail is a technology that connects multiple images through related sections and converges them into one photo. Conversely, it can systematically explain by following the connections of countless images containing various information, unfolding them step by step. By clicking the Detail icons embedded in the image, users can access the next image containing further information, making it excellent for intuitively conveying complex spatial information or administrative procedures.

Gangnam-gu’s e-Digital civil service guide can be accessed by scanning a QR code with a smartphone. The first screen shows an image of a South Korean passport, which includes ▲application form completion ▲passport issuance ▲passport photo menus all at once. Clicking the Detail icon on each menu leads to the next manual.

For example, clicking the application form completion menu displays an actual image of the passport application form. Clicking the Detail icon embedded in the form allows users to check related images highlighting important points to note for each item. Such detailed information was previously lengthy and complex to post as documents and was explained one-on-one by staff or assistants, but now it can be confirmed through digital services. Especially, Gangnam-gu ranked second in passport workload among Seoul’s autonomous districts last year, with about 700 visitors daily for passport services, resulting in many waiting people. The new technology applied to civil service guidance is expected to reduce waiting times for civil service in the future.

Additionally, the smoothly connected image-centered guidance allows digitally vulnerable groups such as seniors to easily access the service. Without constraints of time and space, civil service guidance can be provided through various channels such as social media, digital signage, and link sharing, as long as there is a QR code or link.

The district plans to pilot this service for passport services and gradually expand it to other civil service guidance areas based on residents’ evaluations and operational results.

Jo Seong-myeong, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, stated, “With the introduction of digital technology, anyone will be able to easily understand passport services and receive 24-hour non-face-to-face guidance services. We will continue to actively discover and apply digital technologies that can drive administrative innovation to enhance convenience for residents and provide administrative services that increase satisfaction.”