Rights activists have initiated an online signature campaign aimed at blocking the introduction of a proposed electronic resident card. Representatives of the Catholic Human Rights Committee say the new electronic ID, which will contain personal data including fingerprints and military service records for men, among other information, would waste national budget resources and constitute an infringement of personal privacy. Korea’s Ministry of Public Administration and Security, however, says the new cards would prevent forgery with the addition of an embedded electronic chip. Existing cards contain personal data including the cardholder’s name, national ID number, address, photograph and right thumbprint. The ministry expects to pass a bill approving the change to electronic IDs in the National Assembly this year, with implementation to begin in 2013. The rights committee has said there are fewer than 500 cases of ID forgery each year and warned that implementing the new system could cost as much as one trillion won (US$900 million), rather than the 480 billion won (US$440 million) estimated by the ministry. The integrated circuit chip and card reader can also be hacked, the committee said, adding to fears that personal data could be compromised. Samuel Kang Seong-joon, a committee member, said the online signature campaign would continue until the end of the year in a push to prevent the National Assembly from approving the plan. South Korea introduced electronic passports that contain an embedded microchips in 2008.
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