● Updated law: Resident Registration Act
What it does: South Korean citizens will be issued with mobile identification cards
Takes effect: Dec. 27
Punishment: None
All South Korean citizens aged 17 or older who hold a national identification card can apply for a mobile one starting Dec. 27. This is the first time that digital resident ID cards have been issued in Korea.
Citizens can either visit a local civic center, where they can activate their mobile ID by scanning a one-time QR code or tap a physical IC chip-enabled ID card on their smartphone.
The issuance fee is free. The mobile ID uses the latest security technologies, including encryption, to prevent counterfeiting, falsification, and fraudulent use. It can only be issued to a single mobile phone device and can be reissued if the cellphone is replaced or if it expires after a period of three years. In the event that the phone is reported lost, the mobile ID will cease to be valid.
Mandatory installation of fire extinguishers in vehicles with five or more seats
● Updated law: Act on Installation and Management of Firefighting Systems
What it does: Requires car manufacturers and sellers to install fire extinguishers in vehicles with five or more seats
Took effect: Dec. 1
Punishment: Punishments may vary
Starting in December, any person who manufactures, assembles, imports, or sells a passenger vehicle with five or more seats, or the owner of the relevant vehicle must install or carry a fire extinguisher within the vehicle. The regulation applies to motor vehicles that are manufactured, assembled, imported, or sold, as well as to motor vehicles whose ownership is transferred and registered in accordance with Article 6 of the Motor Vehicle Management Act on or after Dec. 1. It should be noted that vehicles purchased and registered prior to Dec. 1 will not be subject to retroactive application. Unlike ordinary fire extinguishers, fire extinguishers for motor vehicles are designed to withstand the vibrations and high temperatures in a vehicle, and are labeled as “fire extinguisher for motor vehicles” on the container. The installation or availability of a car fire extinguisher is subject to inspection pursuant to Article 43 (1) of the Motor Vehicle Management Act, including new and regular inspections. It is thus compulsory to install or carry a fire extinguisher for motor vehicles in the vehicles that are subject to this regulation.
-- In collaboration with the Ministry of Government Legislation, The Korea Herald publishes a monthly article on laws that have recently been updated in South Korea. The ministry’s Easy Law service (https://www.easylaw.go.kr/CSM/Main.laf) provides accessible summaries of Korean laws grouped by category in English and 11 other languages: Arabic, Bengali, Cambodian, Simplified Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Mongolian, Nepali, Thai, Uzbek and Vietnamese -- Ed.
