National Recreational Forests to verify discount eligibility ‘without a resident registration certificate’ ... Eligibility verified by smartphone

[Financial News] Visitors to national recreational forests will be able to complete on-site eligibility verification using only a smartphone, without carrying paper documents such as proof of eligibility as a family with multiple children or a resident registration certificate, to receive discounts.
 The Korea Forest Service’s National Recreational Forest Management Office announced on the 27th that it will pilot the ‘Public MyData Easy Verification Service’ starting on the 2nd of next month to improve visitor convenience and simplify administrative procedures.
 The service brings the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Public MyData system into on-site verification procedures at natural recreation forests. Visitors can scan a QR code provided at the ticket office or elsewhere on-site with a smartphone and complete simple identity verification, after which they can immediately check and present their eligibility information held by government agencies. Public MyData is a service that allows people, as the subjects of their own information, to request that their administrative data held by government and public institutions be provided to a destination of their choice.
 Until now, the National Recreational Forest Management Office has checked paper supporting documents or identity cards one by one to verify the eligibility of local residents, families with multiple children, people with disabilities, people eligible for national veterans’ affairs benefits and other eligible groups for fee reductions. The new service is expected not only to eliminate the inconvenience of having to obtain documents in advance and bring them along, but also to make on-site processing much faster.
 Eligibility for reductions and the size of the discounts have recently expanded. As part of a regulatory improvement measure in 2024, the Korea Forest Service lowered the National Recreational Forests’ threshold for families with multiple children from ‘three or more children under 19’ to ‘two or more,’ and introduced discounts of 30% on weekdays and 10% on weekends. As the number of eligible visitors has grown, so too has the demand for simpler document verification procedures.
 The Easy Verification Service will be piloted from November 2 through December 31 this year. After making adjustments based on the results of the pilot, the National Recreational Forest Management Office plans to begin full-scale operation on January 1 next year.
 Kim Il-suk, head of the National Recreational Forest Management Office, said, “We expect the introduction of the Public MyData Easy Verification Service to significantly reduce cumbersome administrative procedures and improve visitor convenience.” The head added, “We will continue to expand digital forest administration services that people can experience in their daily lives and work to increase customer satisfaction.”

[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter