By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter

The Korean government plans to replace the mandatory usage of resident registration numbers in cyberspace with new individual identification numbers late this year.

The Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) said Thursday that it will finalize a new format in October with the aim of launching it late this year.

``We will encourage Internet portal companies and other Web site operators to provide an alternative way to subscribe when they do not want to use their resident card numbers,’’ MIC chief deputy director Park Tae-hee said.

Currently, most Korean Web portal sites allow users to sign up for services only after the input of resident registration numbers, the rough equivalent of social security numbers in the United States.

Toward that end, Park said the ministry is now collaborating with authentication agencies such as the Korea Information Certificate Authority (KICA).

``A viable way would be for the KICA to assign an individual identification number after verifying applicants’ identity. Then people will get the new number by giving their personal data to the KICA once instead of using them each time they subscribe to Web sites,’’ Park said.

To prevent the new number from becoming a target of identity theft as a substitute of resident registration numbers, the MIC will enable people to change it whenever they feel it is being abused.

``We cannot change resident registration numbers so stolen resident numbers can continue to cause trouble. But the new number can be changed to make things tough for identity thieves,’’ Park said.

Privacy advocates have urged the government to phase in a new online identification system that can substitute resident registration numbers.

They claimed the 13-digit personal data-filled number, a combination of birth date, gender, first registration region and registration order, may prompt unscrupulous persons to commit identity theft, a fast-growing crime in the digital age.

According to the Korea Information Security Agency, the leakage of personal data cases, most of them resident card numbers, reported to the state-backed agency soared as of late.

The number of reports stood at just 5,785 cases in 2002 but the figure rocketed to 8,298 in 2002 and 9,163 last year.

In response to the MIC scheme, some critics argue the measure will not work since it is just a guideline and not a compulsory regulation to introduce any alternative system.

Their claim is based on a rationale that Internet portal sites would not follow the MIC guideline, which might trigger additional costs without any profits.

Yet, the ministry projected the invisible hand will urge corporations to introduce alternative systems to retain or attract customers who do not want to use their resident card numbers for subscription.

``If the guideline proves not to bear tangible fruit next year, we will mull over making the system mandatory. But before resorting to such a regulatory route, we hope the market would operate to usher in new systems,’’ Park said.

voc200@koreatimes.co.kr