Naver, Kakao, Toss Simple Payment Customers Can Now Verify Resident Registration Card Photo Authenticity

Previously, only name and resident registration number could be verified, excluding photo

"Complete Blockade of Financial Crimes Using Forged or Altered Resident Registration Cards"

Going forward, electronic financial operators such as Naver, Kakao, and Toss will be able to utilize resident registration card photo data during the customer verification process for simple payment services. As a result, financial crimes involving the use of forged or altered identification cards are expected to decrease.

Key figures who attended the "Business Agreement Ceremony for Expanding Resident Registration Card Authenticity Verification for Electronic Financial Companies" held on the 9th at Toss Sinnonhyeon Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, are taking a commemorative photo. From the left: Sangjin Park, CEO of Naver Financial; Seunggun Lee, CEO of Viva Republica (Toss); Chanjin Lee, Governor of the Financial Supervisory Service; Hojung Yoon, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety; Byeongdeuk Chae, President of the Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute; Wongeun Shin, CEO of Kakao Pay. Photo by Financial Supervisory Service

On July 9, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it had signed a "Financial Business Agreement for Expanding Resident Registration Card Authentication for Electronic Financial Operators" at the Toss Sinnonhyeon Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The agreement includes Naver Pay, Kakao Pay, Viva Republica (Toss), the Financial Supervisory Service, and the Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute.

The core of the agreement is that electronic financial operators such as Naver, Kakao, and Toss will now be able to use resident registration card photo data to verify in real time whether an ID card has been forged or altered during the customer verification process.

Until now, electronic financial operators such as Naver, Kakao, and Toss were only able to verify limited information—such as name, resident registration number, and date of issuance—excluding the photo. This made it difficult to confirm in real time whether a resident registration card had been forged or altered.

However, as the use of simple payment and money transfer services provided by electronic financial operators has increased in recent years, financial crime methods have become more sophisticated, such as exploiting forged or altered resident registration cards for simple money transfers or attempts to launder criminal proceeds. There has been a growing number of cases where voice phishing organizations use counterfeit IDs to secure accounts in others' names and move funds. This has led to ongoing calls for a more robust identity verification system for electronic financial services like simple payment and money transfer.

In response, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has decided to enable electronic financial operators to verify resident registration card authenticity—now including photo data—through the government system. This is intended to fundamentally block fraudulent activities involving forged or altered ID cards.

With this agreement, the ministry has also established a new "Notice on the Use of the Resident Registration Card Authentication System." The notice amends resident registration regulations to include electronic financial operators under "financial companies, etc." and clearly defines the methods and procedures for verifying resident registration card authenticity.

The ministry plans to conduct pilot operations this year for Naver Pay, Kakao Pay, and Viva Republica using the Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute's financial network. At the same time, together with the Financial Supervisory Service, they will verify the effectiveness and stability of the system. Beginning next year, the program will be expanded to include other electronic financial operators that meet the relevant qualifications.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Hojung Yoon stated, "The expansion of the resident registration card authentication service will be a major turning point in protecting citizens from financial crimes such as voice phishing and money laundering and in strengthening trust in the digital financial ecosystem. The ministry will continue to link public identity verification infrastructure with the private sector to create an environment where citizens can use digital financial services with confidence."

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