Century-old headache to end as gov't digitizes paperwork

All 1,500 administrative service documents will be digitized by 2026. If the plan succeeds, real estate registrations will be processed without requiring a separate personal seal certificate, a system that has been in place for the past 110 years.

President Yoon Suk Yeol attends the public debate on digital technology at the 2nd Pangyo Techno Valley in Gyeonggi on Tuesday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

All 1,500 administrative service documents will be digitized by 2026, starting with 421 this year.

If the plan succeeds, court employees will immediately process real estate registrations without requiring a separate personal seal certificate, a system that has been in place for the past 110 years.

President Yoon Suk Yeol's government plans to digitize government paperwork to improve the convenience of administrative services for the public.

“We will improve administrative services based on digital technology so that people could have better access and convenience,” Yoon said Tuesday during his visit to the 2nd Pangyo Techno Valley in Gyeonggi.

Digital technology is the seventh theme of the ongoing public debate on people's livelihood initiated by the president's office since the beginning of the year.

"We have the world's leading digital government, ranked No.1 globally by the OECD," Yoon said. "Although we have established an excellent digital government, it is still not enough for people to truly experience its convenience.

He especially stressed that small business owners, including self-employed shops, have not benefited from digital administration.

“Relatively larger companies have a separate department or an employee dedicated to administrative work,” Yoon said. “Small businesses or self-employed individuals, in reality, feel a heavy burden attending to administrative work.”

"Getting a single document from the government is challenging enough," Yoon said. "But they have to run around acquiring a pile of documents, even for a simple process."

Yoon said the first step would be breaking down walls between different departments. He said the scattered information and data will be gathered in a single channel for a 'one-stop' service.

“We will completely digitalize all 1,500 administrative services that require documents,” Yoon said. People will no longer have to gather different certified documents and can easily apply for necessary services.”

He highlighted that even digitizing 30 percent of the 700 million documents handled annually could save the government approximately 1.2 trillion won ($900 million) annually.

“We will significantly transition from the 110-year-old personal seal certification system to digital certification,” Yoon said.

Ko Jin, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Digital Platform Government, said 421 administrative documents, especially those closely related to people’s lives, will be digitized this year alone.

This includes documents that infertile couples have to submit when applying for government subsidies for reproductive treatment.

“Starting September, we will issue personal seal certifications not related to personal property online on the civil service portal, Government 24,” Ko added. “This will return the people’s precious time.”

“We live in a time where our lives cannot be separated from digital technology,” Yoon said. “Ordering [food] from a kiosk machine and paying via smartphone has become routine.”

“Digital technology is changing our lives, but as such, problems that we need to solve are emerging much faster,” he said. “We have to focus on improving people’s freedom and welfare by enhancing the convenience and accessibility of services.”

The government also laid out a plan to enhance gamers' protection.

Starting in March, game publishers must disclose information on purchasable random rewards.

Game publishers have been accused of tampering with the probability of obtaining game loot boxes.

"We will establish a team dedicated to monitoring illegal activities within games," Yoon said.

Approximately 200 police officers across 150 police stations will be assigned to investigate fraud committed in games.

"Roughly 63 percent of people play games," Yoon said. "Games are no longer a simple leisure activity, as various game items are exchanged."

"The game industry is massive, exceeding other industries such as film or music, with annual revenue surpassing 22 trillion won. As we foster the game industry, we must also protect its consumers. The market can expand further when more consumers, who are protected, join."

The government is also expediting the implementation of digital technology-based remote medical examinations.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]