Discounts for families with multiple children via QR code instead of resident registration certificates, starting on the 29th

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) said on the 28th that it would launch the “Simple Verification Service” on the 29th, allowing eligibility for discounts and fee reductions for families with multiple children, people with disabilities, persons of national merit and others to be verified without paper documents.

Until now, people had to submit documents proving their eligibility to receive discounts at amusement parks, tourist attractions, sports facilities and other venues. Going forward, they can scan a QR code placed at a ticket office or elsewhere with their mobile phone and complete simple authentication. Information needed to verify eligibility, such as the number and ages of children, will appear on the screen, and staff at the venue will check it and apply discounts according to the existing criteria.

A total of 23 types of eligibility can be verified. They include households with two or more children and those with three or more, people with disabilities, senior discounts for people aged 60 and over and those aged 65 and over, single-parent families, basic livelihood security recipients, near-poverty households, persons of national merit and pregnant women.

There is no need to install a separate app or sign up for an account. Users can scan the QR code with their phone’s built-in camera and choose one of 13 simple authentication methods, including Kakao, NAVER and telecom carriers’ PASS. Unlike a resident registration certificate, the service displays only the information needed to verify eligibility, reducing unnecessary exposure of personal information.

Companies and institutions can also adopt the service by obtaining a dedicated QR code, without a separate computer system. However, the service can only be used at facilities that have adopted it, and the existing eligibility criteria and discount rates will not be expanded. Verification using an ID card or paper documents will also continue.

MOIS conducted a pilot program at Jeju Air and Lotte World from December last year through July this year, with around 9,300 people using the service. After users said that installing an app and signing up were inconvenient, the service was redesigned to use QR codes. Further pilot programs were then conducted from last August at four private institutions and four public institutions.

MOIS incorporated feedback from 4,936 members of the public into the service design and plans to expand the types of eligibility that can be verified.

MOIS Minister Yun Ho-jung said, “The Simple Verification Service using QR codes is an administrative service designed with input from the public and brought to fruition in their everyday lives,” adding, “We will continue to develop the service.”