Unauthorized Use of Another Person's Resident Registration Card Photo... Up to 3 Years Imprisonment

Ministry of the Interior and Safety to Enforce Revised Resident Registration Act from the 26th
Investigation Requested for 158 Forged or Altered SNS Accounts

From now on, penalties for the fraudulent use of others' resident registration card photos have been strengthened. If caught, offenders may face up to 3 years of imprisonment or a fine of up to 30 million won.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry) announced on the 25th that the amended Resident Registration Act containing these provisions will come into effect on the 26th. The amended Resident Registration Act takes effect immediately upon being published in the official gazette on the 26th.

Until now, even if an image file of a resident registration card was fraudulently used, it was not punishable under the crime of fraudulent use of resident registration cards. The same applied to cases where image files of others' resident registration cards were downloaded from the internet and used fraudulently.

The current Resident Registration Act also clearly states in Article 37, Paragraph 1 that "a person who fraudulently uses another person's resident registration card" (Item 8) and "a person who fraudulently uses another person's resident registration number" (Item 10) shall be punished. The level of punishment, including imprisonment for up to 3 years or a fine of up to 30 million won, is the same as in the amended law.

[Photo by Yonhap News]

However, the Supreme Court ruled in March that the use of image files, not the original resident registration card of another person, cannot be punished under the crime of fraudulent use. It held that merely photographing and using another person's resident registration card is insufficient to be considered exercising it in any form, thus the elements of the crime of fraudulent use are not established. According to this precedent, concerns have been raised that the scope of punishment for fraudulent use of resident registration cards is excessively narrow.

The Ministry stated regarding the amended law, "Since it becomes clear that the fraudulent use of another person's resident registration card image file or copy is subject to punishment, it is expected to prevent cases of unauthorized use of others' personal information online and elsewhere."

Meanwhile, the Ministry recently found 158 accounts on social media that were selling forged and altered 'Resident Registration Card Mobile Verification Services,' which led to damages such as business suspension penalties for self-employed people who sold alcohol or cigarettes to minors after being deceived by these forged services. On the 19th of this month, the Ministry requested an investigation by the Cyber Investigation Unit of the National Police Agency.

Additionally, the Ministry plans to actively promote identification methods to prevent damages caused by forgery and alteration of resident registration cards and the 'Mobile Verification Service.'

Minister of the Interior and Safety, Sang-min Lee, said, "Forgery and alteration of identification cards is a serious crime in itself and has a high likelihood of leading to other crimes that infringe on others' property, etc. We will strengthen crackdowns on violations and respond strictly to ensure that the perception that forgery and alteration of identification cards is a serious crime takes root."

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