"Mobile Driver's License" Available from Next Year... Accelerating Digital Government Innovation (Comprehensive)

Use for Alcohol, Tobacco Purchases, and Rental Cars
Accelerating Adoption to Expand Contactless Services
Real-Time Personal Information Updates Including Address Changes

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] In the future, when renting a car, you will be able to simply open a smartphone application (app) and show your mobile driver's license instead of carrying a physical driver's license in your wallet. When purchasing alcohol or cigarettes at convenience stores, you can present your mobile driver's license instead of your resident registration card to immediately verify your age. For bank loans or housing subscription applications, instead of submitting multiple documents, you can select and send only the necessary information from 'MyData'.

On the morning of the 23rd, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety reported the 'Digital Government Innovation Development Plan for the Post-Corona Era' jointly with related ministries at the Cabinet meeting. Due to the spread of non-face-to-face culture across society caused by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), and the increasing need for the government to respond proactively, the government decided to accelerate the project by advancing the 'Digital Government Innovation Promotion Plan' announced last October.

First, to expand non-face-to-face services, the government will accelerate the introduction of mobile identification cards. This year, a pilot introduction of mobile government employee IDs will take place, and the introduction of mobile driver's licenses, originally planned for the year after next, has been moved up to next year.

In the private sector, the 'PASS Mobile Driver's License Verification Service' will be launched starting the 24th. This service, prepared through cooperation between the National Police Agency and mobile carriers, can be used as an ID to verify minors at convenience stores and other places. The National Police Agency is also considering applying this service to frontline police administration such as traffic police inspections.

An official from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety explained, "The mobile driver's license verification service currently introduced in the private sector only verifies the authenticity of the information recorded on the physical driver's license," adding, "The mobile driver's licenses issued from next year will contain all real-time updated personal information such as address changes."

Along with this, the government plans to introduce the MyData service this year, which allows individuals to search, download, and easily transmit personal information held by public institutions directly to government offices or banks. Additionally, Wi-Fi will be installed in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms, and online textbooks will be expanded to transition to a blended online and offline education system.

By using the 'National Secretary' function to be introduced this year, individuals will receive notifications about health checkups, national scholarship applications, civil defense training, tax payments, and more, and will be able to apply or pay through messenger chatbots or AI speakers.

Furthermore, all benefit services available to individuals will be consolidated and accessible in one place on 'Government24', where various subsidies provided by central ministries will be gathered and displayed. Customized services tailored to life cycles, including childbirth, inheritance, moving, pregnancy, caregiving, and veterans affairs, will also be expanded.

In addition, the government plans to establish an integrated government call center by combining a total of 156 call centers, starting with 11 central government call centers, extending to local governments and public institutions, to resolve civil complaints in a single call without multiple transfers.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Jin Young emphasized, "We will do our best to leap forward as a world-leading country through full digital transformation," and added, "We will speed up digital government innovation together with related ministries so that citizens' lives become more convenient through the expansion of non-face-to-face services and innovation in customized services."

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