Teens 14 and older without a mobile phone in their name or a joint/financial certificate will be able to easily get an i-PIN online.
The Korea Media and Communications Commission said that, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the public MyData service expansion task force, the Korea Information & Communication Promotion Association (KAIT), and the three i-PIN issuers—NICE Information Service, Seoul Information Service, and Korea Credit Bureau—it will fully implement online issuance of i-PINs for teens 14 and older starting on the 30th.
The i-PIN is an alternative authentication method to the resident registration number to minimize damage in the event of a personal information leak. It is short for Internet Personal Identification Number.
Until now, for a teen 14 or older to get an i-PIN online, a mobile phone in their name or a joint/financial certificate was required. As a result, teens without a phone or without financial transactions that would allow issuance of a certificate had to visit an i-PIN issuing agency in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, in person.
To resolve these inconveniences, the Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) expanded the public MyData family relationship certificate service—previously used to verify legal guardians when issuing i-PINs for children under 14—to also serve the purpose of issuing i-PINs to teens 14 and older. This opens the way for teens without a mobile phone in their name to receive an i-PIN online immediately with a legal guardian's consent.
Kim Jong-cheol, chair of the Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC), said, "We will continue to identify difficulties faced by vulnerable groups using identity verification services and do our best to create an environment where everyone can use them safely without discrimination."