The Korea Communications Commission (KCC), the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), the Presidential Committee on the Digital Platform Government (DPGC), and the Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on March 11 (Monday) for “Improved Accessibility and Convenience of Overseas Koreans Using Korean Digital Services.”

Since the abolition of the Public Internet Personal Identification Number (Public I-PIN) service in 2018, overseas Koreans without Korean mobile phones have faced a lot of inconvenience with non-face-to-face identification. Thus, there have been various demands to solve this issue.

To address this issue, the OKA has launched the “Non-face-to-face Identification System for Overseas Koreans” project, which allows overseas Koreans without Korean mobile phones to conveniently access Korean digital services using non-face-to-face identification, such as e-passport and overseas residence information, without visiting Korean government offices or overseas diplomatic missions. The agency has been engaged in working-level consultations with the relevant ministries and agencies to implement the project.

※ The project includes system development and a pilot service for overseas Koreans with Korean resident registration numbers in 2024 (around 2.4 million in total), with plans to improve and expand the service further through inter-ministry collaborations.

The MOU is aimed at building a system of mutual cooperation for effective implementation of the “Non-face-to-face Identification System for Overseas Koreans.”

To this end, the ministries will cooperate with each other to provide the following services with tangible impact on overseas Koreans while fulfilling their respective roles, including establishing and implementing policies for non-face-to-face identification of overseas Koreans and establishing and operating a non-face-to-face identification system (OKA); establishing non-face-to-face identification methods including e-passports (KCC); issuing certifications to overseas Koreans and helping them access the service (MSIT); supporting the creation of a convenient environment for overseas Koreans to use digital services (DPGC); and providing e-passport information (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

※ The pilot project is scheduled for launch in the second half of this year.

Source: Consumer Policy Bureau, KCC; Office of Network Policy, MSIT; Service Support Center for Overseas Koreans, OKA; DPGC