Toss Selected as a “Private Sector Participant for Mobile ID”

• Half of Korea’s population uses Toss—looking forward to a safe and convenient mobile ID operation
• Toss secures Mobile ID service provider qualification, following its roles as a licensed electronic signature provider and identity verification agency

Viva Republica, the operator of the financial super app “Toss,” announced it has been chosen to participate as a service provider for mobile ID by the Ministry of Interior and Safety, which has opened this project to the private sector.

Mobile ID is an identification card that is stored safely inside an individual's smartphone and can be used both on and offline. Until now, the government has only recognized public official identification cards, driver’s licenses, and Patriots and Veterans Registration Cards as mobile IDs. However, a proposed amendment currently in legislative review aims to expand mobile IDs to include Resident Registration Cards by the end of the year.

By being selected for this project, Toss is making itself known as a leading player in the industry by adding mobile ID qualification to its existing roles as a licensed electronic signature provider and identity verification agency.

Toss has established itself as a widely used financial platform, with 28 million members and 19.1 million monthly active users (MAU)—meaning that one in two Koreans use Toss.

As of April 2024, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety’s resident registration census, Toss users are fairly equally distributed across all age groups:

• 92% of those in their 20s (5.63 million users)
• 82% of those in their 30s (5.44 million users)
• 71% of those in their 40s (5.59 million users)
• 58% of those in their 50s (5.06 million users)

Given Toss' strong user base, high adoption rates are expected once mobile IDs are integrated into the app.

Toss plans to make Mobile ID access quick and seamless, by placing it directly on the app’s home screen. Additionally, a 24/7 customer support center—operated by Toss’ subsidiary, Toss CX—will be available to assist users with mobile ID inquiries.

Toss has been acknowledged for its contributions to public services and cybersecurity:

• 2021 Award for Informatization Development (Ministry of Interior and Safety) for its role in national digital services like Goodpy (the national assistant service) and digital document and wallet
• 2018 & 2023 Information Security Grand Award (Ministry of Science and ICT) for excellence in security technology, data protection activities, and incident response

Toss has also finalized its security and privacy management framework for mobile IDs, prioritizing immediate data disposal after use, forgery and tampering prevention, and data encryption and strict physical access controls.

“With 28 million users, we will ensure that mobile IDs are easily accessible and convenient to use,” a Toss representative said. “Toss will continue to lead not only financial innovation but also advancements in public services such as digital identity verification, working in alignment with the government.”