South Korean ID Cards

South Korean ID Cards system to be rebuilt from scratch

South Korean id cards system may need a complete overhaul following huge data thefts dating back to 2004.

The government is considering issuing new South Korean ID-kaarten numbers to every citizen aged over 17, costing billions of dollars.

The South Korean ID Cards numbers and personal details of an estimated 80% of the country’s 50 million people have been stolen from banks and other targets, say experts.

Rebuilding the system could take up to a decade, said one.

Some 20 million people, including the president Park Geun-hye, have been victims of a data theft from three credit card companies.

“The problems have grown to a point where finding a way to completely solve them looks unlikely,” technology researcher Kilnam Chon told Associated Press.

There are several reasons that the South Korea ID cards have proved so easy to steal:

• South Korea Id Cards numbers started to be issued in the 1960s and still follow the same pattern. The first few digits are the user’s birth date, followed by either a one for male or two for female

• Their usage across different sectors makes them master keys for hackers, say experts

• If details are leaked, citizens are unable to change them

• The government required net-users who wanted to deal with banks or shops online to use a Microsoft product and ActiveX to provide a digital signature but critics say it was a simple password that could easily be duplicated

The news will be an embarrassment for a country that has gained a reputation as one of the most tech-savvy nations in the world.

About 85% of South Korea’s people are online and many with super-fast net access. The country’s population owns 40 million smartphones.