Korea makes move to ePassports

From next week, all newly issued passports in South Korea will be ICAO-compliant ePassports.

Applicants for passports in the country will have to make a personal visit to any of 169 local authorities nationwide with their identification card and a photo.  The ePassport will be personalised on the Toppan E2000 passport printer distributed worldwide by GET Group.

The ePassports  are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and contain their electronic chip in the back cover. Korean embassies and consulates overseas will reportedly begin issuing the ePassports some time in October and November.

The country had intended to include fingerprints in the passports, but that plan was shelved until a later date.