▲ This photo shows the mobile identification card application with a notice informing of the service disruptions from 1:54 p.m. on Nov. 24, 2023. (Yonhap)

(2nd LD) mobile ID card website-disruption

(2nd LD) Mobile nat'l ID card app suffers breakdown

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SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Yonhap) -- The government's mobile application for issuing mobile national identification cards experienced a shutdown Friday, just days after a major system failure caused widespread disruptions in public access to state-approved documents.

The mobile identification card website and the accompanying app became inaccessible starting at 1:54 p.m. Although the website resumed operations, the app remained partially unavailable as of 5 p.m.

"Mobile driver's licenses and national veterans' registration cards cannot be issued, but existing cardholders can continue to use the service," the website's notice said.

The state-run Korea Minting and Security Printing Corp. in charge of managing the mobile identification card system said an employee accidentally triggered the system, resulting in the freeze of operations. There is no evidence of any external attack.

"As some functions have been restored, existing members with the mobile ID cards can proceed with authentication," the agency said, adding that restoration efforts are currently underway.

The incident came after the government's administrative network underwent a major system failure on Nov. 17, disrupting public access to state-approved papers before being restored two days later.

South Korea has been providing the mobile identification service since July last year, with plans to expand the service to include mobile national ID cards with the same legal status as the current plastic ID cards in the second half of next year.

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