Mobile driver's licenses will be practiced from the first half of next year in South Korea. South Korea's three mobile carriers, SK Telecom, LG Uplus, KT, and the National Police Agency will work together to push for a 'mobile driver's license verification service' that runs on smartphone applications, 'PASS'. You can record your physical driver's license and register your driver's license, which will be linked to the National Police Agency and the Korea Highway Traffic Authority's 'Driver License Information Verification System' for driving qualifications and identification. Then, a mobile driver's license is created on the smartphone if it is a problem-free driver's license. Mobile driver's licenses are expected to be in the form of QR codes or bar codes. If the code is scanned by the traffic police and others with a terminal for verifying information, the driver's qualification can be verified in real-time.

▲ The model of mobile driver`s license.

If people have to carry a real driver's license, it is difficult to fully implement the current trend of 'life without wallet' and there is a risk of insufficiency. If a driver's license is lost, it could cost and take time to reissue it and use it for various crimes such as borrowing a rental car or opening a cannon phone by someone else. A mobile driver's license can prevent such accidents in advance. In addition, while the popularity of the car-sharing services using smartphone applications is growing, the number of minors using the service as a way to borrow or steal another person's driver's license and drivers who cancel their driver's license is increasing. Mobile driver's licenses are also expected to reduce illegal driving.

▲ Driver License Information Verification System

However, there are also some concerns. Regarding the operation of mobile driver's licenses, the nation's three mobile carriers said that they will not store or manage people's driver's license information on a central server and will manage only the minimum encrypted data to prevent any risk of personal information leakage, which means that hackers may steal personal information if they hack into private handsets that store driver's license information.

Although mobile driver's license has advantages and disadvantages, this system will make South Korea more informative.

Oct. 27th, 2019

by Lee Ji-eun