South Korea is opening its government mobile ID service to four additional banking apps, allowing users of IBK Industrial Bank of Korea, Shinhan Bank, Woori Bank and Hana Bank to issue and use official credentials from October 14.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety says the expansion covers five credential types: resident registration cards, driver’s licenses, veterans registration cards, foreign resident registration cards and disability registration cards. The four banks join six private providers already offering mobile ID services, including Samsung Electronics and Naver.
The government has been extending mobile IDs into frequently used private apps so that people can access their credentials through familiar services. The latest providers were selected through an application process and passed suitability assessments before being allowed to offer the service.
First-time issuance depends on the physical credential a user holds. People with an integrated-circuit, or IC, identity card can tap it against their smartphone to obtain the mobile version. Those without an IC credential can visit a designated issuing institution for an in-person process.
Eligible Samsung-device users who have previously obtained a mobile ID can retrieve their existing credential through a secure authentication procedure, without another physical-card tap or visit to an issuing institution. The ministry describes that route as a way to make an already issued credential available in the newly supported app.
Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung said the additional channels would make mobile IDs easier to use in everyday apps. The ministry plans to continue working with private providers and updating related arrangements to expand where the credentials can be used.
The expansion concerns official government-issued mobile IDs, distinct from the carriers’ PASS identity-confirmation service. The ministry recently asked carriers to change the PASS service’s name and screen design to reduce confusion between the two systems.
Acceptance and verification have also attracted parliamentary scrutiny. Ministry data showed a sharp rise in complaints about refused or unusable mobile IDs, alongside differences in how services verify credentials. The new bank-app channels expand issuance and access to the government credentials, with IC-card taps, in-person issuance and retrieval for eligible existing users providing the enrollment routes.
Sources: Ministry of the Interior and Safety
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
