South Korean government agency to use blockchain-based employee ID system

The Korea Internet & Security Agency, or KISA, is the first public entity of South Korea to implement a blockchain-powered employee ID system through a smartphone app starting October.

According to Yonhap, the agency will also issue tokens called “KISA Coin” to reward KISA’s best employees, enabling them to purchase snacks, beverages, and even office supplies. It is currently being pilot tested, with the expectation to make it available for the entire workforce.

The new employee ID system will allow KISA’s workers to use near field communication technology, or NFC, by scanning QR codes to access their respective workplaces via a blockchain platform that will handle the database. 

But the new system is not limited to ID authentication, as the employees are required to use it for accessing the coffee shops in the agency or borrowing books from the library as well.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the desire for implementing contactless solutions among its work processes are some of the reasons behind the implementation of this solution.

Local media outlets also report that KISA plans to introduce the blockchain-powered employee ID system first in its Naju headquarters by October, and then to its offices in Seoul and Pangyo at the end of the year. 

Kim Seok-hwan, president of the Korea Internet & Security Agency, commented on the new system:

“I hope that the introduction of DID mobile employee ID for the first time in public institutions will not only improve employee convenience and security, but also serve as a welcome point for discovering non-face-to-face identity authentication services in connection with local related organizations.”

In other recent developments on blockchain adoption across the country, Daegu, the fourth-largest city in South Korea, recently announced its plans to allocate over $6 million towards blockchain and artificial intelligence education.

One million South Koreans have foregone their physical driver's license in favor of a blockchain-powered digital alternative used in conjunction with the PASS smartphone app.