Ten Changes in Consular Services in the Year of the Ox... New 'Consular Assistance Act' Enforced to Support Stability of Overseas Koreans

New 'Consular Assistance Act Enforcement' Ensures Stable Support for Overseas Koreans... Establishes Consular Assistance Grounds by Type Such as Death and Disappearance, Formalizes Charter Flight Deployment System in Emergencies
Online Passport Reissuance, 5-Year Multiple Passports Issued to Those with Military Service Exemptions... Enables Non-Face-to-Face Financial Transactions with Passports
Promotion of 'Overseas Korean Education and Culture Center' Construction

A charter flight carrying Korean residents stranded in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, which is under lockdown as the origin of the novel coronavirus infection, is departing from Incheon International Airport on the evening of the 30th.
Yeongjongdo - Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

Amid delays in the charter flight schedule for transporting Korean residents living in Wuhan, China, a cancellation notice for a flight to Wuhan is displayed on the departure board at Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport on the 30th. (Multiple exposure) / Yeongjongdo = Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will enhance digital services suitable for the non-face-to-face era brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, along with improvements in consular services in the new year of the Year of the Black Tiger. In particular, the enforcement of the Consular Assistance Act for the protection of overseas Koreans is expected to enable more stable consular assistance.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 2nd, the new Consular Assistance Act will be fully enforced on January 16 after a two-year preparation period including the establishment of subordinate legislation. This law specifically details consular assistance for six types of situations: △criminal procedures, △crime victims, △death, △minors and patients, △missing persons, and △emergency situations. Overseas Koreans can easily find out what kind of help they can receive in various situations. Additionally, various systems such as travel alerts, emergency support for citizens in difficulty, deployment of charter flights in overseas emergencies, and rapid overseas remittances have been codified into law.

It has also become possible to apply for passport reissuance online. Since December 18 last year, the online passport reissuance application service has been implemented through all passport service agencies and overseas diplomatic missions.

When applicants reissue a regular electronic passport, they can apply regardless of their address through the ‘Government24’ website domestically or the ‘Consular Service 24’ website overseas, and receive their passport by visiting the designated receiving agency only once. The online passport reissuance application service reduces the number of direct visits to service counters, thereby reducing the time and economic burden on applicants while providing a safe and convenient passport service.

A path has also opened for all young people (aged 18 and over) who have not completed military service to receive a multiple-entry passport valid for five years. Through amendments to the Passport Act, from January, those who had previously been issued passports with limited validity periods according to their overseas travel permission period will be able to receive multiple-entry passports valid for five years.

Furthermore, the existing overseas travel permission system by the Military Manpower Administration for those who have not completed military service will be maintained, and it has been supplemented to allow passport surrender orders for those who do not obtain overseas travel permission or who stay overseas beyond the permitted period. This system improvement is expected to greatly contribute to enhancing the convenience of overseas travel for those who have not completed military service.

More convenient and secure non-face-to-face financial transactions using passports have also become possible. Since December 28 last year, a passport authenticity verification service has started at domestic financial companies to safely use passports as identification for various financial transactions. When this service expands to all financial institutions, it is expected that citizens who want to use passports as identification, such as minors without resident registration cards, will be able to conduct financial transactions more conveniently. In addition, ‘passports without resident registration numbers’ can also be used as real-name verified identification without inconvenience through the passport authenticity verification service.

A way to receive consular call center assistance overseas without call charges using free phone apps has also opened. Previously, when calling the consular call center from abroad, international call charges had to be borne, and it was difficult to remember the number ‘02-3210-0404’. In the new year, with the official launch of this service, overseas Koreans will be able to conveniently receive consultations through a single app without international call charges, greatly improving accessibility and convenience of consular call center consultations.

Additionally, real-time online consular call center consultation services via ‘KakaoTalk’ are provided. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched consultation services based on ‘KakaoTalk’ to provide real-time assistance such as overseas safety information and behavioral guidelines for crisis situations. Besides the existing telephone consultation method, it will be possible to connect simply and conveniently with consultants through social networking services (SNS) widely used by many people. In the new year, the service will expand to various SNS apps frequently used in Southeast Asia and China, such as ‘WeChat’ and ‘LINE’, in addition to KakaoTalk.

Location-based services using the Global Positioning System (GPS) will also be fully implemented. This service allows applicants to easily send their location to consultants during consular call center consultations. It reduces the inconvenience of confirming and explaining one’s location in unfamiliar overseas environments, and consultants can quickly identify the applicant’s location, enabling faster and more accurate consular assistance. Furthermore, through linkage with the ‘Kakao AlimTalk’ service, customized safety information will be provided to citizens staying in affected areas during overseas emergencies.

Consular services can be accessed anytime and anywhere through the Consular Service 24 app. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has provided the existing online consular services, previously available on PCs, as a mobile app, allowing convenient use via mobile phones without restrictions of time and place. Various services such as overseas Korean registration, changes and movement reports of overseas Korean registration, return reports, passport reissuance applications, and overseas diplomatic mission visit reservations can be used through the app, enhancing convenience for applicants.

The range of documents eligible for online apostille issuance has also been greatly expanded. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs operates the ‘e-Apostille’ website, currently providing immediate online apostille issuance for 31 types of documents. In the new year, apostille certification for middle school transcripts (Korean and English) and 10 types of National Tax Service certificates will be available online.

Meanwhile, the long-standing wish of the overseas Korean community to build an ‘Overseas Korean Education and Culture Center’ will also be pursued.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Overseas Koreans Foundation will build an Overseas Korean Education and Culture Center in the Magok district of Seoul to serve as a hub for the global Korean ethnic network and to provide ethnic identity education for the next generation of overseas Koreans. Despite Korea’s 150-year history of overseas migration, there is currently no domestic facility to serve as a focal point for the 7.5 million overseas Koreans.

When this center is completed and opened in 2023, it is expected to activate the network between the homeland and overseas Koreans through various exhibitions, education, and community events, and to further enhance the public’s understanding of overseas Koreans.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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