South Koreans could soon allow its citizens to use blockchain-based digital identification instead of physical cards as soon as 2024.
A plan from the government will see digital IDs embedded as an app within mobile devices in the future, working in a similar fashion to physical resident registration cards.
The digital IDs are expected to launch in 2024, with around 45 million citizens expected to adopt the technology within two years.
The digital IDs could be used in finance, healthcare, taxes and transportation, while the director-general of Korea’s Digital Government Bureau Suh Bo Ram said the technology could help businesses that haven’t yet transitioned fully online.
The plan would also see the government adopt a decentralized identity system, meaning the government will not have access to information stored on phones, including the digital ID being used, how they’re used and where, according to Suh.
Such technology isn’t new to the tech-savvy nation, which ranks first among all nations in applying technology to life, business and government, according to the Portulans Institute, an American think-tank.
While South Korea is seen leading the way in all things blockchain and Metaverse, other nations are expected to soon follow.
