DPL Ministry, Ministry of Science and ICT, and Legislation Office Amend Consumer Basic Act
Original Includes Electronic Documents... Unnecessary Paper Printing Reduced
Mobile ID Accepted When Presenting Original ID Card
The government has revised laws to expand the concept of original administrative documents, which had conventionally been interpreted narrowly as paper documents, to include electronic documents.
On the 12th, the Digital Platform Government Committee (hereinafter referred to as Digital Platform Government), the Ministry of Science and ICT (hereinafter referred to as MSIT), and the Ministry of Government Legislation announced the promulgation and enforcement of a batch amendment of 13 presidential decrees, including the Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Consumers, and 8 ministerial ordinances. The amendments include provisions that electronic documents can also be considered as originals requiring storage or verification under the law, aiming to reduce unnecessary paper printing.
Although the use of electronic documents has expanded across administrative tasks, many current laws require originals and do not clearly define the concept. As a result, in practice, originals have been conventionally interpreted as paper documents, leading to separate printing, storage, and use, thus treating electronic and paper documents redundantly.
The government selected the revision of laws to include electronic documents in the concept of originals as a task under the 'Digital Platform Government Implementation Plan' and identified relevant laws for amendment. In consultation with 12 ministries including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, 27 laws were selected as the first batch for revision and a batch amendment process was carried out.
With this amendment, it is now explicitly stated that when laws require the storage, verification, or confirmation of originals, electronic or digitized documents are also acceptable. Additionally, when laws require the presentation of original identification cards, presenting mobile IDs will also be recognized as valid for identity verification.
In the same spirit, four bills including the 'Framework Act on National Taxes' that underwent similar revisions passed the Cabinet meeting on the 5th and were submitted to the National Assembly. The government plans to support rapid passage of these bills through inter-ministerial collaboration.
Furthermore, types of cases requiring additional investigation of actual operational status related to the submission and return of originals have been classified as the second phase of revision tasks, and revisions will be pursued through consultations with the relevant authorities.
Kim Chang-kyung, Chairperson of the Digital Platform Government Committee, stated, "The government is striving to innovate administrative systems and laws from the perspective of the digital-first design principle. We will continue to work with related ministries to accelerate the realization of the Digital Platform Government and enable citizens to experience more convenient administrative services."
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