Private mobile IDs to be used at hospitals, airports

South Koreans will be able to use the mobile driver’s license verification service provided by the PASS app, which is offered by the country’s three major telecom companies, just like a physical ID. By simply photographing and registering a physical driver’s license within the app, it can be used as if it were a real ID, eliminating the need to carry a physical ID.

SK telecom Co., KT Corp., and LG Uplus Corp. announced on Wednesday that the mobile driver’s license verification service provided by PASS now has the same legal validity as a physical driver’s license, according to the revised Road Traffic Act.

PASS has been offering the mobile driver’s license verification service since June 2020. The revised Road Traffic Act, which took effect on Wednesday, specifies that if the holder’s name, photo, address, resident registration number, driver’s license number, and issuance details are verified using the driver’s license verification service, it is like verifying it with a physical driver’s license.

When police want to verifyba driver’s license, for example, the mobile ID verification service from PASS can be used instead of the physical license.

Mobile IDs will have legal validity for tasks at resident centers, various public office elections, domestic flight check-ins, and age verification at convenience stores for items such as tobacco and alcohol.

For domestic flights, users can use the PASS Smart Boarding Pass to verify both their ID and boarding pass at once, eliminating the need to present them separately as they check in. This service is supported by eight airlines, including Jeju Air, T’Way Air, Eastar Jet, and Korean Air.

With the recent amendments to the National Health Insurance Act, PASS can also be used for identity verification during medical treatments covered by health insurance. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety previously operated a mobile ID app where users could register and use their driver’s license and national veteran’s registration card. But this required visiting a driver’s license examination center to issue a mobile driver’s license, which was inconvenient.

Now, users can use mobile IDs through commonly used apps such as Samsung Wallet’s PASS on their smartphones, improving accessibility and convenience. PASS has over 11 million subscribers to its mobile ID verification service as of July 2024, and Samsung Wallet has more than 17 million domestic users as of March.

Samsung revamped its app wallet platform Samsung Pay to Samsung Wallet in March 2024, integrating mobile driver’s licenses and national veterans’ registration cards. These two services on Samsung Wallet also have the same legal validity as physical IDs and were used for voter ID verification in the 22nd National Assembly elections held during the following nonth.

Platforms with large user bases, such as Naver and Kakao, are expected to offer mobile ID services within 2024, and the Ministry of Interior and Safety selected KB Kookmin Bank, Naver, NH Nonghyup Bank, Toss, and Kakao as participating companies for the private sector’s mobile ID initiative in June. These companies will begin developing systems to integrate mobile IDs and will undergo suitability evaluations by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety before launching the services later in the year.

Naver plans to enable mobile ID issuance and usage through its main app, while Kakao will add a mobile ID menu to a KakaoTalk tab and KakaoBank.