Banking apps to include ID within this year

A promotional image of the government’s mobile identification card / Captured from government website promoting mobile identification

By Yi Whan-woo

Commercial banks will introduce digital identification cards on their mobile apps within this year to expand services to non-banking sectors, according to industry sources Sunday.

The sources said KB Kookmin Bank, NH NongHyup Bank and a consortium of Kakao and its banking arm, KakaoBank, were selected to offer mobile ID via their apps, respectively.

The service will be made available under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s project to open doors for private companies to provide services linked to the public sector.

The ministry picked the companies after considering the number of their respective customers, the sources said.

“The digital ID service is in tandem with the banking industry’s push to foster digital technology for growth, especially in the non-banking sectors,” a source said.

Those who have downloaded the corresponding banking apps will not need to carry a tangible ID with them at polling stations, government offices, hospitals and other places where personal verification is required.

In the meantime, the lenders have been broadening services on their app to shopping, tickets for sporting events, GPS-based driving routes and maps.

Concerning the public sector, KB Kookmin Bank has been taking mobile application for passports using its app. The applicants can pick up a new passport at district offices in their neighborhood when it is ready.

Woori Bank made it available for men who are subject to mandatory military service to find the pre-health check-up result on its app before entering boot camp.

Shinhan Bank is taking reservations for those who plan to visit forests and gardens managed by the government-affiliated Korea Forest Service and the National Institute of Ecology.