As the country embraces blockchain technology more fully, South Koreans may soon be able to use blockchain-based digital identification (ID) instead of physical cards as early as 2024. The government plans to embed digital IDs as an app within mobile devices in the future, like physical resident registration cards. The digital IDs are expected to be available in 2024, with 45 million citizens expected to use the technology within two years.

Hwang Seogwon, an economist at Korea's Science and Technology Policy Institute, said digital IDs could be used in finance, healthcare, taxes, and transportation, while Suh Bo Ram, the director-general of Korea's Digital Government Bureau, said the technology could help businesses that haven't yet fully transitioned online. According to Suh, the plan also includes the adoption of a decentralized identification system, which means that the government will not have access to information saved on phones, such as the digital ID being used, how it is used, and where it is used. Such technology, however, is not new to the tech-savvy nation, which ranks first among all nations in using technology to life, commerce, and government. It would also not be the first blockchain-based digital ID system used in the country.

Over one million South Koreans have adopted a blockchain-powered driver's license by August 2020, which functions through Korea's PASS smartphone application. Shortly after, in September 2020, the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) of South Korea began pilot testing on a similar technology.

Sources:

https://bitcoinworld.co.in/blockchain-id-cards-for-south-korea-government-agency/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-16/south-korea-aims-to-boost-economy-with-digital-id-on-blockchain#xj4y7vzkg

https://cointelegraph.com/news/koreans-to-have-access-to-blockchain-powered-digital-ids-by-2024

https://coinedition.com/s-korea-to-introduce-blockchain-based-digital-ids-for-citizens/

https://www.investing.com/news/cryptocurrency-news/skorea-to-introduce-blockchainbased-digital-ids-for-citizens-2913699