SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus have announced that the number of subscribers for the PASS mobile driver’s license verification service and the mobile resident registration card service has surpassed 10 million.
The PASS service, established through the ICT regulatory sandbox, was the first in Korea to offer a mobile driver’s license verification service via an app in June 2020. Subsequently, in November 2022, it added the mobile resident registration card verification service, leading the expansion of mobile ID users and usage applications.
The PASS mobile ID allows users to register conveniently and securely without the need to reissue their physical resident registration card or driver’s license. Users can photograph their existing physical ID using the PASS app or input their information, which is then verified through face recognition, making it resistant to forgery.
Notably, the large user base of 36 million PASS app subscribers, along with user experiences that are familiar with mobile phone identity verification and the reliability of the telecommunications services, has further contributed positively to the increase in subscribers.
PASS mobile IDs are utilized not only in public sectors such as resident registration offices, police driver’s license verification, polling stations (for presidential and general elections), national qualification exam venues, and domestic airline boarding procedures but also in various private sector applications like convenience stores, unmanned vending machines, cinemas, and car rentals for identity verification and age confirmation procedures.
Additionally, service providers can verify the validity of the ID and check personal information such as name, resident registration number, and address through a secure QR verification method, enhancing the convenience of the identity verification process. Given the one device, one SIM policy, only phones with the user’s registered SIM can be used for the PASS service, ensuring high security and reliability.
In the National Assembly, amendments to the Resident Registration Act and the Road Traffic Act have been completed to ensure that the mobile resident registration and driver verification services hold the same legal effectiveness as physical IDs, laying a foundational framework to support safe and convenient use across various fields of daily life.
As per the amended National Health Insurance Act, as of the 20th, identity verification at medical institutions has become mandatory, allowing for the presentation of the PASS mobile ID as an alternative to physical IDs. Additionally, starting in July, the PASS mobile ID QR service will be offered for the first time in Korea at key university hospital administrative offices and nationwide clinics through unmanned kiosks.
Moreover, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety is negotiating the addition of the PASS driver verification service to be launched on July 31st alongside the revised Road Traffic Act, following the already available mobile resident registration service at local government offices nationwide.
The three companies stated, “In the future, we plan to actively expand the applications of the mobile driver’s license verification service and the mobile resident registration card verification service for tasks such as new and changing subscriptions at communication agencies, as well as number portability. We are also planning to offer non-face-to-face identity verification services for car rental reservations in Jeju, corresponding to the scale of PASS mobile ID with 10 million subscribers.”
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr