"Purchase Alcohol Online After Ordering" 7 ICT Regulatory Sandbox Cases Processed

Mobile Driver's License

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] From now on, it has become possible to order alcoholic beverages online and then pick them up. Notifications from private companies and banks can also be received via mobile text messages instead of mail.

On the 12th, the Ministry of Science and ICT held the 8th ICT Regulatory Sandbox Review Committee meeting at the Huino headquarters to review whether to designate a total of seven cases as regulatory sandboxes.

As a result of the review, three projects in the digital healthcare field?homecare algorithm development and visit guidance service (LG Electronics·Seoul National University Hospital), homecare health management service (LG Electronics·AimMed), and smart ordering and payment service for alcoholic beverages (Nowbusking)?were processed as proactive administration. Additionally, four projects?expansion of electronic notification to private institutions (KT), mobile driver's license verification service (Samsung Electronics·Korea Information Certificate Authority), tourism taxi brokerage platform service (Roiku), and risk detection service using biometric signals (ITIC&C)?were approved and designated as temporary permits or demonstration exceptions.

Looking at the main details, first, the homecare algorithm development and visit guidance service, for which LG Electronics and Seoul National University Hospital applied for proactive administration, involves developing software for collecting and measuring arrhythmia data targeting cardiovascular patients and enabling hospital clinical coordinators to provide visit guidance services when arrhythmia occurs.

The review committee judged that the pulse measurement software qualifies as a medical device under the Medical Device Act, and that research collecting data (electrocardiogram, activity level, heart rate, etc.) from patients for training the arrhythmia measurement software does not fall under medical device clinical trials. However, data collection and use for algorithm development need to comply with data management principles according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety guidelines.

Regarding the visit guidance service, it was judged to be allowed under the Medical Service Act based on the Ministry of Health and Welfare's proactive legal interpretation, thus no regulation applies. The review committee expected that "data collection through wearable devices and doctors' visit guidance services will be possible, promoting the development of convergence services and improving medical convenience for arrhythmia patients."

LG Electronics' Home Care Algorithm

With the smart ordering and payment service for alcoholic beverages requested by Nowbusking being processed as proactive administration, customers can prepay for alcoholic beverages online via apps or websites and pick them up at the business location after simple identity verification without waiting. Currently, all alcoholic beverages are only allowed to be sold face-to-face, and telecommunication sales are generally prohibited except in exceptional cases permitted by official notice.

The review committee judged that since the benefits for both consumers and small business owners increase and concerns about minors purchasing alcoholic beverages and the impact on the alcohol distribution order are minimal, granting a demonstration exception is necessary. However, since the National Tax Service plans to improve the system by April to allow smart order telecommunication sales of alcoholic beverages where consumers receive the beverages face-to-face inside the business premises, it was processed as proactive administration rather than a demonstration exception so that the full-scale business can start immediately.

KT applied for a temporary permit for a service that notifies and confirms various notifications from financial companies, mutual aid associations, and other private institutions via mobile instead of existing mail. Under the current Information and Communications Network Act, there is no explicit legal basis for identity verification agencies to convert resident registration numbers into linked information on behalf of private institutions, making it difficult to apply mobile electronic notification services.

As a result of the review, the committee granted a temporary permit allowing private institutions to convert resident registration numbers into encrypted CI information through identity verification agencies and send electronic notifications only when there is a legal basis for collecting resident registration numbers and an obligation to notify. However, it requested that the applicant company and private institutions faithfully comply with technical and managerial personal information protection measures for user protection as presented by the Korea Communications Commission. This is expected to reduce social costs by replacing postal notifications with mobile notifications, improve notification delivery rates, and provide convenience in citizens' daily lives.

Private Institution Mobile Invoice

Samsung Electronics and Korea Information Certificate Authority applied for a temporary permit to allow people who have been issued a plastic card-type driver's license to register their driver's license through a mobile application and use it with the same legal effect as before. The review committee granted the temporary permit and required the establishment of a system in consultation with the three mobile carriers and the police agency to prevent personal information leakage and forgery and to enhance user convenience before starting the business.

Roiku applied to allow tourism taxis to operate across multiple administrative districts and, for municipalities where it has not been introduced, to implement a time-based flat fare system and flexibly adjust tourism taxi fares based on driver capability and peak/off-peak seasons. The review committee granted a demonstration exception to prioritize trials in Yeosu City and Yangyang County and to expand the applicable areas after consultation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the relevant local governments.

The applicant company plans to display that the tourism taxi is providing service when moving between business areas, mandatorily attach the taxi operation information management system, set fare caps when introducing the flexible fare system, require real-name registration of users, and establish a complaint reception and handling system before starting the business.

Minister Choi Ki-young of the Ministry of Science and ICT emphasized, "The regulatory sandbox is a flagship policy of regulatory innovation that the government has focused on. It is a consistent government policy to open opportunities to freely challenge and try new things under the principle of prior permission and subsequent regulation, as long as new technologies and services do not harm the lives, safety, and health of the people."

The review committee meeting was held together with a demonstration of Huino's "wristwatch-type electrocardiogram device-based heart management service," the first company designated for demonstration exception under the ICT regulatory sandbox. In February last year, the Ministry of Science and ICT granted Huino a demonstration exception to allow doctors to collect and utilize data from patients wearing wristwatch-type electrocardiogram devices and provide visit guidance upon detecting abnormal signs.

Huino completed service development, medical device certification, and performance testing in February this year and started clinical trials with Korea University Anam Hospital. Through clinical trials, patients can undergo electrocardiogram tests more comfortably, and hospitals can provide accurate personalized diagnoses by analyzing accumulated measurement results. It is also expected to improve convenience for patients who find regular hospital visits inconvenient and expand opportunities for entry into related domestic and international markets such as smart healthcare in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.