Reducing Fraud... Government to Introduce Mobile ID Verification for Secondhand Transactions

Ministry of the Interior and Safety Launches Citizen-Focused Initiatives

Standardized Rainwater Grate Location Stickers Introduced

Expansion of Standalone Smoke Detector Installations in Homes

Online Certificate Issuance for Minor Children

In the future, a mobile ID-based identity verification system will be introduced to secondhand transaction platforms. Parents will be able to obtain various certificates for their minor children online, and a simplified eligibility verification service will be launched, allowing discounts and fee reductions without the need for paper documents.

On May 27, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it had selected these citizen-focused initiatives so that people can experience tangible improvements in their daily lives. The ministry considered effectiveness, urgency, and feasibility, selecting these proposals from suggestions based on the field experiences and ideas of its staff.

First, to prevent fraud in secondhand transactions, a mobile ID-based identity verification system will be implemented on secondhand trading platforms. Users who complete verification will receive an authentication badge within the platform. Leading platforms such as Danggeun Market, Junggonara, and Bunjang will gradually introduce the mobile ID-based identity verification badge system.

To reduce flooding damage during heavy rainfall, a standard for rainwater grate location notification stickers will be established. In the past, rainwater grates were frequently blocked by garbage such as cigarette butts, requiring intensive cleaning efforts and budgets ahead of each rainy season. To address this, a sticker-type rainwater grate notification standard has been created, which can be easily installed at low cost and remains visible even when submerged. Starting in June, this standard will be applied first to areas frequently affected by flooding nationwide.

There will also be an expansion of standalone smoke detector installations to prevent fires in aging residential areas. While sprinklers are effective in stopping the spread of fires, installing them in existing homes requires large-scale construction such as ceiling demolition, resulting in significant costs and time. In contrast, standalone smoke detectors can be installed easily for just 8,000 won each, detect fires much faster than heat detectors, and emit a loud 85-decibel alarm to help residents evacuate quickly.

The ministry is reviewing plans to expand the distribution of standalone smoke detectors to older apartments and single-family homes that do not have sprinklers and are vulnerable to fire. In the second half of this year, the ministry, in collaboration with the Korea Fire Protection Association, plans to conduct a pilot program targeting local governments with a high rate of residential fire fatalities.

The maintenance of "bollards," which prevent vehicles from illegally entering sidewalks and protect pedestrians, was also selected as a citizen-focused initiative. In some areas, bollards that do not meet installation standards or that have been damaged have not been repaired, causing inconvenience and danger for both pedestrians and drivers. The government will conduct a comprehensive inspection based on maintenance guidelines by August, and from September will repair any non-compliant or damaged bollards.

A system will also be established to allow parents to obtain various certificates for their minor children online (via Government24) without having to visit a community center or other offline location. Starting in early June, services such as issuing disability certificates and applying for passport reissuance will be launched, and from August, a pilot service for three types of certificates, including proof of entry and exit, will be available. Beginning in December, the range of services and eligible applicants will be expanded, allowing parents in the same household to obtain elementary school admission notices, which previously could only be issued to the head of household.

Cases of unclaimed local tax refunds, which occurred due to the inconvenience of written notifications and account registration, will also be improved. The ministry will launch a service that enables users to check and claim local tax refunds in one stop through private apps such as Kakao and banking apps. Refunds can be received not only in cash or by bank transfer, but also via prepaid electronic payment methods, such as Pay Money.

Additionally, a simplified eligibility verification service that allows discounts and fee reductions without paper documents will be introduced at private facilities such as airports and theme parks, and a system will be created to assign addresses to specific locations that currently do not have an address upon request.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-joong stated, "The citizen-focused initiatives selected this time are practical, everyday policies designed so that people can directly feel the changes in their daily lives," adding, "We will continue to closely monitor the inconveniences and risks people face on-site and keep developing field-oriented, tangible initiatives."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.