Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) considers scrapping PASS, used by 13.8 million, but has not assessed forgery and tampering

[Financial News] As the government considers discontinuing the PASS ID verification service, used by approximately 13.8 million people, over concerns about forgery and tampering, it has emerged that the actual status of forged or tampered IDs in the field has not been assessed. Critics say the scale and causes of the problem should be accurately determined before deciding the service's fate.
A review by Financial News on the 23rd found that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has not tallied the number of forgery and tampering cases involving the PASS ID verification service or classified them by cause. MOIS said it had responded by forwarding suspected cases posted online and on social networking services (SNS) to the police. That means it remains unclear how many cases were confirmed as actual forgery or tampering, whether any reports were false, or whether the ID screens had been manipulated.
MOIS is considering measures such as consolidating the PASS ID verification service under government mobile IDs because of concerns about the possibility of forgery and tampering involving mobile IDs. A research project is currently underway, with the findings expected toward the end of the year. MOIS has maintained a cautious stance, saying that nothing has yet been decided regarding the discontinuation of the PASS ID verification service.
The key issue is expected to be whether forgery and tampering stem from a security problem inherent in the PASS service itself. The telecommunications industry has emphasized that the problem lies in the practice of visually checking an ID screen or date of birth at stores without verifying authenticity through a QR code. It argues that even if the system is consolidated under government mobile IDs, the problem will be difficult to resolve at its root unless QR codes are checked in the field.
The government must also consider that 13.8 million people use the PASS ID service. Discontinuing a service that has already established a large user base could cause not only user inconvenience but also greater confusion at sites where it is used.
In fact, usage of the PASS app has been rising. According to Mobile Index, the combined daily active users (DAU) of PASS across the three major mobile carriers increased from an average of 1,464,660 per day in 2024 to 1,569,026 last year. From January 1 through September 19 this year, the daily average was 1,691,187. However, these figures cover use of all PASS services, including identity authentication and electronic documents, as well as ID verification.
Industry voices are calling for a detailed assessment of confirmed incidents and their causes, especially as the government is considering discontinuing a service with 13.8 million users. The rationale is that policymakers need to understand the actual scale and channels of forgery and tampering before deciding how to improve the service.
An industry source said, "Since PASS is used by so many people, the direction of future policy should be decided carefully," adding, "Sufficient alternatives should be prepared, and measures to minimize user inconvenience and confusion in the field should be considered together." 

[email protected] Yoon Hong-jip Reporter