About one million residents of South Korea have jettisoned their hard copy drivers license ID for an electronic, blockchain-enabled version of their driver's licenses.
The new electronic version of these driver's license work with a smartphone PASS app, authorized by the police. According to statistica, the number of users who have migrated from the physical driver's license to blockchain alternative is about 3% of the country's driving population.
This development is a milestone for South Korea blockchain advocates, as the blockchain-powered driver's license would be the first official identity document issued in a digital format.
According to Daily Kyungjae, a South Korea news platform, drivers who use this digital driver's license can verify their identities with the authorities by using QR codes or the blockchain PASS app.
The project was first approved in September 2019, by the South Korea ministry of science and technology. Afterward, the project was launched in May 2020, about seven months after the initial approval. Several partners in the public and private sectors were involved in strategy and policy information, including SK, KT, and LG U+ from the telecom sector.
This new blockchain-powered driver's license has also been authorized for acceptance in convenience shops and any other place where a physical driver's license would be used for identification. Irrespective of location of use, the method of verification remains the same, i.e., either through the smartphone PASS app or via a QR scan.
South Korea has also been one of the countries in recent times that has been advancing the use of blockchain technology in governance.
Source: Cryptonews
