[Column] Blockchain-Based Mobile ID Shines in Crisis as a Digital Trust Infrastructure

Active Adoption of Identity Verification Services Needed in the Private Sector

Hyunghyul Yeom, Professor Emeritus, Department of Information Security, Soonchunhyang University.

In September, a fire broke out during the relocation of lithium-ion batteries for the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) at the National Computing and Information Service in Daejeon, temporarily restricting access to many digital administrative information services. This incident has prompted a comprehensive review of the operational environment of digital government systems in the event of disasters.

Even during this recent national computing network outage, the blockchain-based mobile identification service for the public continued to operate stably without interruption, demonstrating the excellence of the technology. The blockchain-based national mobile ID is a government identity management system that the government has spent years developing. After announcing plans to introduce mobile IDs in the 2019 Digital Government Innovation Initiative, South Korea established the world’s first blockchain-based mobile ID issuance system in 2021. With the introduction of the mobile resident registration card this year, a foundation has been established that allows all citizens of South Korea to freely obtain and use blockchain-based mobile IDs.

The blockchain-based mobile ID service utilizes Decentralized Identifier (DID) technology, featuring a decentralized structure that stores and verifies information simultaneously across multiple distributed node servers, rather than relying on a single central server. The strength of this design is that even if a specific node server is physically destroyed or its service is interrupted, the remaining nodes can immediately take over and continue verification. Alongside this outstanding system resilience, only the minimum information required for identity verification needs to be submitted, fundamentally preventing unnecessary exposure of personal data.

In practice, thanks to its decentralized design, the national mobile ID continued to provide normal verification services in sectors such as finance, even during this national disaster, without any system downtime. In addition, applications linked to the blockchain were able to quickly recover through rapid disaster recovery (DR) configurations.

Blockchain-based mobile IDs are also gaining attention not only in national disaster crisis situations but also amid the escalating cyberattacks that threaten the national information security system. Last month, the government announced through its "Comprehensive Interdepartmental Information Security Measures" that it would introduce multi-factor authentication (MFA) methods, including blockchain-based national mobile IDs, focusing on the public and financial sectors.

Furthermore, internal government work systems are set to fully transition from using the Government Public Key Infrastructure (GPKI) certificate, which public officials previously used to access government networks, to a composite authentication system utilizing biometric information and blockchain-based mobile employee IDs. This policy shift demonstrates that blockchain-based mobile IDs offer significant advantages as a powerful user authentication tool capable of replacing complex and vulnerable legacy authentication systems.

In the private sector, the structural vulnerabilities of existing identity verification services have been repeatedly exposed through personal data breaches. As an alternative, it is necessary to actively consider using blockchain-based national mobile ID services, which provide thorough personal data protection, as a means of identity verification. If identity verification services using mobile resident registration cards and other mobile IDs are expanded to various private sectors such as telecommunications, healthcare, and education, citizens will be able to safely prove their identity and selectively submit only the necessary information. This would create an environment that achieves both personal data protection and user convenience.

The sustainability of digital government is achieved not only through technological advancement and innovation but also on a foundation that citizens can trust and rely on. The blockchain-based mobile ID has proven its value as a "digital trust infrastructure," going beyond a simple identity verification tool to protect citizens’ daily lives by providing uninterrupted service even during national disasters. If the government and private sector work together to expand this digital trust ecosystem, data sovereignty will return to individuals, and secure digital administration will be realized even in the face of disasters or cyber threats. The blockchain mobile ID, which has proven its worth in times of crisis, should now be firmly established as a core infrastructure of the national digital system that sustains public trust, rather than remaining a matter of choice.

Heumyeol Yeom, Professor Emeritus, Department of Information Security, Soonchunhyang University

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