Postal codes to revamp in August 2015

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Postal codes to revamp in August 2015

Korea’s postal codes will adopt a simpler five-digit system instead of the current six-digit system beginning in August 2015, according to the Korea Post yesterday.

The new numbers will be identical to the national basic district numbers, which the Ministry of Security and Public Administration will assign to basic administrative units across the country. The national basic district numbers are based on topographical features that are not easily changed, such as roads, streams and railways.

A total of 34,140 numbers will be assigned by next year.

“We expect that the efficiency of mail delivery will improve as we further reorganize the existing postal codes and realign the districts based on objective geographical features,” said the Korea Post in a statement.

The first three digits of the current six-digit postal codes refer to the administrative district, while the latter three digits specify areas within that district. Under the new five-digit system, the first two digits will specify the general region, such as a city or province, while the final digits will refer to specific areas. Korea introduced five-digit postal codes in 1970, then revised the system to six digits in 1988.

BY MOON GWANG-LIP AND SOHN HAE-YONG [joe@joongang.co.kr]
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