Home > National > Social Affairs

Digital ID cards available for residents of Seoul, Busan, Gwangju from Friday

Published: 13 Mar. 2025, 18:20

LEE SOO-JUNG
[email protected]

An image shows an example of electronic copy of resident registration card for Koreans. [MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR AND SAFETY]

Korean citizens nationwide will be eligible to use a digital copy of their resident registration cards via their mobile devices starting Friday.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Presidential Committee on the Digital Platform Government announced Thursday that Koreans in Seoul, Busan and Gwangju can apply for an issuance of their digital residence card at community centers in their neighborhoods.

The ministry has gradually expanded the availability of electronic ID cards since last December through three phases.

Seoul, Busan and Gwangju belong to the last phase due to potentially high demand, while residents in provincial regions, Gyeonggi and Incheon were permitted to obtain electronic copies of their ID cards earlier.

Those with IC chip-embedded plastic ID cards can download their electronic ID by scanning the chip with their phones, while those who have chip-less cards must visit local community centers to scan a QR code for issuance. Downloaded electronic ID cards can be viewed on Mobile IDentification App, published by the ministry.

District officials inform visitors of electronic copy of mobile resident registration card at a community center in Songpa District in southern Seoul on March 13. [YONHAP]

A digital form of the residence card can be issued only to a single smartphone, not multiple devices. The registered mobile device owner's name should match that of the ID cardholder.

Mobile IDs hold the same validity as physical plastic ID cards. They can be presented at government offices, financial institutions and hospitals to confirm a user's identity where the presentation of a physical ID card has been required previously.

Fifteen banks are equipped with electronic systems that can process mobile ID cards for opening new bank accounts or changing passwords.

When mobile devices are reported missing, access to ID cards would be automatically restricted as the service operates in connection with telecommunication services.

Mobile ID cards are expected to be accessible through Samsung Wallet from next month. The government is planning to work with Naver, the nation’s largest online platform operator, and KB Kookmin Bank.

Foreign residents in Korea aged 14 or above have been eligible to download their digital copies of residence cards since January via Mobile IDentification App.

Acting Interior Minister Ko Ki-dong said his ministry will continue to develop innovative services related to mobile ID cards through cooperation with relevant state authorities and private companies.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]