In South Korea, the driver's license has a smartphone version (illustration). - Pixabay / Pexels

Three South Korean mobile operators have teamed up with the national police and ATON to develop an electronic version of the driver's license, which can be viewed on a smartphone.

The digital document was integrated into the PASS mobile application, already used in stores across the country to secure and make payments via mobile phones, says Engadget . The device will be available from July for customers of local operators SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus.

South Koreans can now store their driving license on their smartphones https://t.co/o4FNUqVRBb pic.twitter.com/6Wd6z0Vk4W

- Engadget (@engadget) June 23, 2020

Replace paper version

This digital version may in particular be used to provide merchants with proof of the age of customers buying goods whose sale is controlled. The smartphone document will also serve as the basis for having a lost or stolen driver's license redone or for having it renewed. The system can therefore eventually replace the paper version of the official identity document.

To download the driving license on your phone, you must enter the various information indicated on the document in the PASS app. The program then creates an image file constituting a digital license similar to the original, including the photo of the user. The app also generates a QR code and a barcode.

A secure device

The security of the device was particularly taken care of by its creators. The service cannot be used by the same person on several devices. Blockchain-based protection has been developed for the most sensitive data. Program codes will be updated frequently and an anti-screen capture feature has also been added to the system.

Oh Se-hyeon, vice president of SK Telecom in charge of blockchain and authentication tells FutureIoT to want to "promote the use [of the service] in remote interactions, which have multiplied since the onset of the pandemic from Covid-19 ".

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  • World
  • Smartphone
  • South Korea
  • Driver's license