1. The Foreign Ministry hosted a meeting of the Passport Policy Commission on June 21. At the meeting chaired by Second Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, officials from such relevant government agencies as the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior as well as civilian members decided to issue poly carbonate- (PC-) type, next-generation electronic passports (e-passports) in an effort to implement the policy to expand the government’s high-tech-based administrative services.

2. The aforementioned decision came as the government saw the need to beef up the security of the ROK passports amid the rapid growth in sophistication of criminals’ passport-forging techniques. Also considered in making the decision was the fact that 57% of the member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are currently using PC-type e-passports; and that the majority of the countries that are newly introducing e-passports are issuing PC-type e-passports for security reasons.


* unofficial translation