ETRI Aims for Leadership by Developing International Standards for Digital Identity Wallets

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on July 1 that it has begun developing international standards with the goal of securing leadership in digital identity wallet technology.

The digital identity wallet is a next-generation authentication technology that allows users to store and use items such as resident registration cards, driver's licenses, student IDs, and credit cards on their smartphones.

In South Korea, the scope of digital identity wallet usage has been gradually expanding, starting with the introduction of the mobile government employee ID in 2021 and now including mobile driver's licenses and mobile resident registration cards.

ETRI researchers are discussing the application methods of digital identity wallet technology. Photo by Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute

ETRI has previously developed user-centric ID management technology and multi-factor authentication technology, which form the foundation of digital identity wallets, through its research on identity authentication technologies.

User-centric ID management technology is designed to enable users to directly control and selectively share their identity information. ETRI has enhanced the privacy protection and reliability of this technology by applying decentralized identifiers (DID).

Multi-factor authentication technology increases security by combining two or more authentication factors, such as biometric information, smartphone security chips, and PINs. It adopts a FIDO2-based authentication protocol to meet international security standards.

Through the development of these international standards, ETRI aims to pursue the following: development of international standard patents to ensure global interoperability of digital identity wallets; development of technologies in connection with official standardization organizations; and expansion of pilot applications in the financial, public, and industrial sectors.

In particular, to enhance the effectiveness of digital identity authentication technology, ETRI plans to collaborate with Korea Financial Security Institute, which is well-versed in domestic security requirements, and conduct joint research with Hope, a company active in the global open-source platform 'OpenWallet Foundation,' to promote technological adoption in both European and domestic markets.

Previously, in Europe, the digital identity authentication law 'eIDAS 2.0' came into effect in May 2025, setting a goal for 80% of EU citizens to be able to use digital identity wallets by 2030. In addition, international standardization organizations such as the ITU and the OpenWallet Forum under the Linux Foundation are strengthening cooperation to expand global interoperability.

ETRI President Bang Seungchan stated, "International standardization is a strategic activity at the national level that goes beyond mere technological competition," and added, "We will spare no effort to ensure that Korea can achieve global leadership in digital identity authentication technology."

This research is being carried out as part of the 'ICT Broadcasting Standards Development Support Project' by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP). ETRI is leading the research, with Korea Financial Security Institute and Hope participating as joint collaborators.

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