The Amendment to the Korean Passport Act introduces a new Korean Electronic Passport. The passport excludes the Resident Registration Number and establishes a new system in order to ease administrative work of the government. This Amendment shall become effective in 2020.
The Passport Act of the Republic of Korea
According to Art. 7 Passport Act every Korean passport shall include:
- Type of passport;
- Issuing state;
- Passport number;
- Date of issuance and expiration;
- Issuing authority;
- Name of the passport-holder;
- Nationality of the passport-holder;
- Gender of the passport-holder;
- Date of birth of the passport-holder;
- Resident registration number of the passport-holder; and
- Photo of the passport-holder;
Due, facially, to protect personal information, the Korean Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee declared the low importance of the inclusion of a Korean Resident Registration Number in Korean passports. Therefore, the Amendment excludes the number from Korean passports.
Highlights of the Amendment to the Korean Passport Act
- Deletion of the Resident Registration Number from Korean passports.
- A Comprehensive Passport Information Management System.
- Establishment of a Passport Information-Sharing System operated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This System aims is to enable Korean citizens to use their passport as a certified ID.