Public Disclosure Authorized KWPF - World Bank · xii The Case Study of Korea MOE Ministry of Education MOEL Ministry of Employment and Labor MOFA Ministry of Foreign Affairs MOHW

KOREA:AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM OF CIVIL

REGISTRATION AND VITAL STATISTICS

Ewha Womans University

Korea Institute of Public Administration

NOVEMBER 2016

KOREA-WORLD BANK PARTNERSHIP FACILITY

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KOREA:AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM OF CIVIL

REGISTRATION AND VITAL STATISTICS

November 2016

Ewha Womans University Korea Institute of Public Administration

CONTENTS

Acknowledgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

Abbreviations and Acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Concept and Significance of CRVS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Organization of the Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2 The Framework of CRVS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Governance Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Family Relationship Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Resident Registration System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Resident Registration Record Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Resident Identification Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Resident Registration Certificate Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Vital Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Population Change Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Population and Housing Census . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Statistics Information System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

National Health Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Governance Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23CRVS and Health Insurance System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

3 Civil Management Information System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

The Case Study of Koreavi

Governance Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Central and Local Government Agencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28National Computing and Information Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Other Public Institutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Civil Management Information Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32Enterprise Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32Family Relationship Registration Information System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32Resident Registration Information System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33Minwon24 Portal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34Administrative Information Sharing System (AISS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35Government Information and Communication Networks . . . . . . . . . . .38

4 Statutes and Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Governance Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41CRVS related Acts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Act on the Registration of Family Relationship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42Resident Registration Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42Statistics Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

CMIS related Acts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Framework Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Electronic Government Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Acts related to Privacy Protection and Cybersecurity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44Act on Promotion of Information and Communications

Network Utilization and Information Protection (ICNUIPA) . . . . . .45Act on the Development of Cloud Computing and

Protection of its Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

5 Critical Success Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Strong Political Will and Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47Inter-Ministerial Collaboration and Resource Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48Consistent and Timely Strategic Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49Human Capacity with Skilled Expertise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50Flexible Financial Investment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Budgeting for CMIS and E-Government Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52Benefit-Cost Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Public-Private Partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Outsourcing Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Project Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Key Considerations for Successful PPPs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

viiContents

6 Lessons and Policy Implications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Legal and Institutional Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59Incentive System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60Capacity Development of Civil Servants and Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60Personal Information Protection and Cybersecurity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Technological Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

7 Concluding Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

List of Figures

Figure 1 .1: Evolution of Korea CRVS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Figure 2 .1: Birth Registration Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Figure 2 .2: Death Registration Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Figure 2 .3: Structure of the Resident Identification Number . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Figure 2 .4: Purpose of Resident Identification Number

Data Collection, 2014 (unit: percentage) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Figure 2 .5: Resident Identification Number Processing Procedure by

the Public Sector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Figure 2 .6: Resident Registration Certificate Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Figure 2 .7: Data Processing of the Vital Statistics of Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19Figure 2 .8: Data Processing of the Cause of Death by Statistics Korea . . . . . .20Figure 2 .9: Website of the Korean Statistical Information System (KOSIS) . .22Figure 2 .10:Governance of National Health Insurance System . . . . . . . . . . . .23Figure 2 .11:Places of Birth and Death of Population, 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24Figure 2 .12:Filing Eligibility Request for Health Insurance Services . . . . . . . .25Figure 2 .13:The National Health Insurance Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26Figure 3 .1: The N-Type Growth Model of CMIS of Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Figure 3 .2: The Structure of CRVS Governance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Figure 3 .3: Basic Structure of CMIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32Figure 3 .4: Basic Architecture of RR Information Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33Figure 3 .5: The First Screen of the Minwon24 Portal Website . . . . . . . . . . . .34Figure 3 .6: Yearly Usage of Minwon24 Portal Services (unit: millions) . . . . .35Figure 3 .7: Top Five Online Services via Minwon24 Portal Website

(unit: thousands, percentage) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36Figure 3 .8: Structure of Administrative Information Sharing System . . . . . . .36Figure 3 .9: Basic Models of Information Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37Figure 3 .10:Basic Structures of Information Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37Figure 3 .11:Data-Using Institutions through AISS

(unit: data-using institutions and their ratio) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38Figure 3 .12:Annual Records Viewing of Shared Information

(unit: millions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38Figure 3 .13:Concept Map of Government Information &

Communication Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38Figure 5 .1: Standard E-Government Governance of Korea (2001~2007) . . . .49

The Case Study of Koreaviii

Figure 5 .2: Public Sector Employment as a Percentage of the Labor . . . . . . . .51Figure 5 .3: Components of Total Civil Servants by Government Level . . . . .51Figure 5 .4: Entrustment Chains of CMIS Projects in Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Figure 5 .5: Typical Life Cycle of Outsourcing Management . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

List of Tables

Table 1 .1: Major Socioeconomic Indicators of Korea’s Growth . . . . . . . . . . . .2Table 2 .1: Basic Structure of CRVS (FRR, RR, and PCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Table 2 .2: Public Governance of CRVS Task . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Table 2 .3: The Family Relationship Registration System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Table 2 .4: Information Needed in the Registration Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Table 2 .5: Purpose and Benefits of RR System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Table 2 .6: Development Stages of the RR System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Table 2 .7: Entries of Resident Registration Record Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Table 2 .8: Regulatory Structure of RIN Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Table 2 .9: Alternate Methods for Personal Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Table 2 .10: Data Collected for the RR Certificate Card Issuance and

Information Included . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Table 2 .11: Alternative Renewal Options of Resident Registration

Certificate Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17Table 2 .12: Basic Structure of Population Change Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Table 2 .13: Publication of the Vital Statistics Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19Table 2 .14: Main Fields of Use of Demographic Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20Table 2 .15: Changes in the Population Census between 2010 and 2015 . . . .22Table 2 .16: Components and Unit System of the Health Insurance

Information System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25Table 3 .1: Key and Target Functions of National Computing

and Information Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Table 3 .2: Evolution of the National Computing and

Information Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Table 3 .3: Public Institutions Supporting CRVS in Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Table 3 .4: Main Menu Contents of Minwon24 Portal Website . . . . . . . . . .35Table 4 .1: Administrative Information Subject to Sharing

(E-Government Act, Article 38) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Table 4 .2: Rights and Obligations of Information Owners

(E-Government Act Article 42, 43) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44Table 4 .3: OECD Guidelines and Personal Information Protection Act . . . .44Table 5 .1: Advisory Committees Related to CMIS Agendas . . . . . . . . . . . . .48Table 5 .2: Barriers to Information Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48Table 5 .3: History of CRVS and CMIS Related Master Plans . . . . . . . . . . .50Table 5 .4: Traditional Budgeting and Multi-Year Financial Investment . . . .52Table 5 .5: History of Resource Procurement Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52Table 5 .6: Comparison between Partnership and Outsourcing . . . . . . . . . .54Table 6 .1: Penalties and Fines for Personal Information Privacy Violations . .60

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This report on the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) of Korea was

prepared by an Ewha Womans University research team in partial collabo-ration with the Korea Institute of Public Administration as part of a 2015

joint consultation with the Knowledge Sharing Program (KSP) and World Bank Group (WBG) . The research team acknowledges that this program was financed by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance (MoSF) and the Export-Import Bank of Korea . The research for the project was led by Dr . Hee Joon Song and Dr . Minah Kang, professors of public administration, and by research assistants Ms . Churin Kim and Yeonsoo Kim .

First of all, the research team expresses deep gratitude to Dr . Samuel Lantei Mills and Dr . Sanggon Na who are Senior Health Specialists of the Health, Nutri-tion, and Population Global Practice at the WBG . The work was, in reality, made possible by their insightful advice and technical support .

This report also relies on valuable support from numerous Korean gov-ernment officials and experts . Ministry of Interior (MoI) officials, including Mr . Young-Kuk Joung and Ms . Su Jung Lee, provided a huge amount of data on the history and ongoing practices of the Resident Registration (RR) system . The re-search team also appreciates Ms . Yeo Jin Lee’s contribution in the Vital Statistics policy area . Ms . Yoo-Sick Seo of the National Health Insurance Service and Dr . Jeongwon Yun of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service under the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MoHW) made valuable suggestions and com-ments on the integrated usage of the health registries and of the Resident Identifi-cation Number (RIN) .

Finally, the work benefited greatly from useful peer reviews by Ms . A-Lee Jo and Ms . Eun-Hee Park, officials of the MOI, Dr . Geunjoo Lee and Dr . Yujin Choi, professors of Public administration, Ewha Womans University .

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

Abbreviation Full DescriptionAISS Administrative Information Sharing SystemBCA Benefit-Cost AnalysisBOOT Build-Own-Operate-TransferBOT Build-Own-TransferCMIS Civil Management Information SystemCR Civil RegistrationCRVS Civil Registration and Vital StatisticsDB DatabaseDDoS Distributed Denial of Servicee-NID Electronic national identity cardFRR Family Relationship RegistrationG4C Government for Citizens projectHIRA Health Insurance Review and Assessment ServiceICNUIPA The Act on Promotion of Information and Communications

Network Utilization and Information ProtectionICT Information and Communications TechnologiesI-PIN Internet Personal Identification NumberITA Information Technology ArchitectureITU International Telecommunication UnionKCC Korea Communications CommissionKISA Korea Internet and Security AgencyKISDI Korea Information Society Development InstituteKLID Korea Local Information Research and Development InstituteKOMSCO Korea Minting and Security Printing CorporationKONEPS Korea Online E-Procurement SystemKOSIS Korean Statistical Information SystemKRW Korean WonMIC Ministry of Information and Communication

The Case Study of Koreaxii

MOE Ministry of EducationMOEL Ministry of Employment and LaborMOFA Ministry of Foreign AffairsMOHW Ministry of Health and WelfareMOI Ministry of the InteriorMOJ Ministry of JusticeMOSF Ministry of Strategy and FinanceMSIP Ministry of Science, ICT and Future PlanningNBIS National Basic Information SystemNCIS National Computing and Information ServiceNEIS National Education Information SystemNGO Nongovernmental OrganizationNHI National Health InsuranceNHIS National Health Insurance ServiceNIA National Information Society AgencyNID National Identity CardNTS National Tax ServiceOECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and DevelopmentPCS Population Change SurveyPHC Population and Housing CensusPIPA Personal Information Protection ActPISC Public Information Sharing CenterPPS Public Procurement ServicePPP Public-Private PartnershipRIN (RRN) Resident Identification Number (Resident Registration Number)RR Resident RegistrationSDG World Bank Sustainable Development GoalsSLA Service Level AgreementUN United NationsUNDESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social AffairsUNESCAP United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and

the PacificUNICEF United Nations Children’s FundVS Vital StatisticsWBG World Bank GroupWEF World Economic ForumWHO World Health Organization

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) refers to a universal, continuous,

permanent, and mandatory recording and documentation of the occur-rences and characteristics of vital events, including births, deaths, marriag-

es, divorces and annulments, adoptions, and legitimations in accordance with the legal and regulatory requirements of each country (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), 2015) . The system contributes to the socioeconomic development in each country by recording the critical events of each country’s population . International organizations, including the United Nations (UN) Secretariat and Regional Commissions, the World Bank Group, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and nongovernmental organizations increasingly urge governments to establish a CRVS system that provides baseline data for shaping and implementing socioeconomic policies .

This case study on Korea’s experience with its CRVS system is based on wide-ranging activities such as literature review, interviews with officials and staffs involved with the system, and international workshops . The content of the report will play a role as a guideline for developing countries that are striving to imple-ment and enhance their respective CRVS systems .

Since the implementation of the Resident Registration Act and the Statistics Act in 1962, Korea has continuously improved its CRVS system . The CRVS system of Korea has evolved since the 1960s, relying largely on two basic tools: one is legal and institutional rearrangements, and the other is digitization and e-government . CRVS services, which originally were paper-based and required visits in person to public service centers, have been transformed into an Internet-based service with diverse channels of transactions for the convenience of citizens . Nowadays, the main objectives of a CRVS system are to support the government provision of various services to citizens and to capture and track people’s family relations and residential information .

Korea’s CRVS consists of two major parts, Civil Registration (CR) and Vital Statistics (VS) . CR in turn consists of the two distinct but closely related compo-nents, Family Relationship Registration (FRR) and Resident` Registration (RR) . Based on the objective of recording registration and verification of occurrences

The Case Study of Koreaxiv

and changes in family relationships, including births, deaths, and marriages, FRR builds a dual structure of information on both a per individual and a per fam-ily basis . The goal of RR is to carry out appropriate administrative activities and to deliver public services, including employment, public welfare services, and social security, through the assessment of residential relationships and other indicators of population move-ment . Meanwhile, the Resident Identification Number (RIN), which is a ‘personally unique registration num-ber’ that the government issues to identify each citizen, contains the RR data in the form of 13 digits . They are recorded on the RR Certificate Card, which is the national identity card (NID) for the verification of the cardholders’ residency .

The VS reflects a country’s fundamental demo-graphic changes, such as births, deaths, and marriages, and informs public policies on population, residency, health, social welfare, education, and transportation . The Population Change Survey (PCS), a key compo-nent of VS, is a national statistical survey conducted every month based on the individual FRR system .

In terms of governance, central and local govern-ments have their own roles and responsibilities regard-ing the management and maintenance of the CRVS system . At the central level, the Supreme Court, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), and Statistics Korea are in charge respectively of the FRR, RR, and VS policy domains and implementation . These three organiza-tions are responsible not only for planning, developing, and managing the national database system, but also for monitoring and evaluating the national system as a whole . While the governing entities at the central level are separated into three ministries, actual registration of FRR, RR, and PCS is done at city, county, and district offices, and at community service centers .

The Korean government has transformed its CRVS system from paper-based work processes to com-puterized ones, and attained remarkable achievements in its Civil Management Information System (CMIS) over half a century . In 1987, the Korean government initiated the National Basic Information System

Projects (NBIS) for computerizing five national key networks, including administration, defense, public security, finance and banking, and education and re-search . The administration network covers six databas-es closely related to CRVS: RR, real estate registration, automobile registration, population statistics, employ-ment, and customs . The MOI’s RR information sys-tem (Government for Citizens project, G4C) was de-veloped in 2002, and its portal website (Minwon24) in 2013 . Minwon24 now meets the expectation that Internet-based declaration services will make reporting of life events much easier and more convenient for cit-izens . The Supreme Court developed its FRR informa-tion system in 2007, and linked it with the national system of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) in 2008 and with the MOI’s RR system in 2011 . In addition, the Administrative Information Sharing System (AISS), which serves both information-holding institutions and information-utilizing ones, requires administrative offices to confirm and verify a civil applicant’s identity and information using data related to RR, automobiles, real estate, and taxes .

CRVS in Korea has multi-layered laws and reg-ulations consisting of constitutional statutes, legislative laws, enforcement decrees (presidential decrees), and enforcement rules or regulations (ministerial decrees) . CRVS-related acts include the Act on the Registration of Family Relationships, the Resident Registration Act, the Statistics Act, and the Regulation for Population Change Survey . These four primary acts define and reg-ulate registration and verification work processes overall, and require the ascertainment of the residential status of residents, the movement of the population through the registration of residents in each city or district, and the production of vital statistics . In addition, other acts provide a basis for support of CRVS, such as the Elec-tronic Government Act and the Personal Information Protection Act . Several factors have led to the success of CRVS and CMIS in Korea . First, since 1960, under the strong political will and continued engagement of the country’s presidents, combined with the enactment of the RR Act, the development of the RR database

Executive Summary xv

and the RR online service (Minwon24), and the work of the AISS and National Computing and Information Service (NCIS), projects have been all undertaken as part of the presidential agenda . Political engagement of the top decision makers was a powerful driver to facili-tate inter-ministerial collaboration in formulating gov-ernment-wide policy and to insure allocation of human and technological resources between key ministries . Secondly, consistent and timely strategic plans to catch up with advanced countries in terms of computing ca-pacity and human resources, supplemented by develop-ment of expertise in information and communications technologies (ICT) in various public institutions and the private sector, also contributed to the success of the CRVS . Additionally, innovative budget structures, involving multi-year investments, government-wide results, financial and non-financial cost-to-benefit ra-tios, innovative workflow adjustments, and other uti-lizations of financial resources, along with systematic management of project implementation by project life cycle, have all played major roles as catalysts to the development of CRVS . Moreover, as a main tool of project management to exploit advanced technological opportunities in the private sector, a system of pub-lic-private partnerships (PPP) utilized in entrustment and outsourcing has been widely adopted as a legal principle of e-government project management .

The Korea’s CRVS case has important implica-tions for developing countries that are striving to devel-op their own CRVS systems . The Korean government initially may not have designed an ideal type of CRVS, but it has incrementally transformed and upgraded the system into more efficient and customer-oriented op-erations . Even today, the government makes diverse ef-forts to provide a customized CRVS service using state-of-the-art information technologies such as mobile

devices, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence . The govern-ment is also working to keep the legal and institutional framework timely and consistent with these technolog-ical advancements .

Since the entire processes of a CRVS system require a high degree of information sharing and col-laboration among relevant agencies, it could result in irrelevance, inadequacies and inconsistencies of CRVS information at a national level if the agencies only maintain and use a fragmented legacy system . Govern-ments should focus on renovating smoke-stacked work processes into more integrated ones through collabora-tive governance . The issue of personal information pro-tection is the biggest and the most controversial issue concerning the CRVS system . For instance, on sever-al occasions, the Korean government faced issues in-volving the abuse, leak, or loss of personal information surrounding the FRR, RIN, and RR certificate cards . Therefore, to protect against these issues, legal and technical measures must accompany the development of a CRVS system .

An incentive-compatible mechanism is crucial for securing the compliance of civil officers and citizens in implementing CRVS effectively . The Korean experi-ence, where the government guaranteed other sources of income for city and district offices to minimize re-sistance in return for the change of the fee system to move from paper document issuance to electronic issu-ance, shows the high importance of such an incentive system . The government has to enhance the ability of front-office civil servants and customers alike in order to achieve widespread use of CRVS and CMIS . Edu-cation and training programs operated by the govern-ment can enhance the digital literacy of citizens and promote the processing capacity of civil servants .

1INTRODUCTION

Background

Korea is a peninsular country located in Northeast Asia at the triangular point of contact between China, Japan, and Russia . The country had spread its cultural her-itage over Japan from early times to the middle ages, but became its colony in the early 20th century due to its failures in industrialization . The aftermath of World War II beginning in 1945, the division of Korea into South and North in 1948, and the Korean War in 1950 combined to leave the country in the 1950s one of the world’s most poverty-stricken countries .

In the 1960s, when the Korean government faced similar challenges that developing countries are encountering today, including social needs for rapid in-dustrialization, it began to institutionalize its resident registration (RR) system and population trend survey . Historically, Korean dynasties have carried out property assessments and basic censuses for tax collection, military drafts, and public proj-ects since as early as the 7th century . However, the introduction of the RR system in 1962 was a political and administrative response to the impoverished economic situation of the time, which pressured the government to initiate economic devel-opment (Table 1 .1) .

The main goals of the civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system of Korea are to help the government capture and track people’s family relations and residential information as well as to provide various public services, including welfare services, child vaccinations, and education . The RR Act and the Statistics Act were enacted in 1962 to manage the residency and migration of the entire population and labor force in conjunction with the country’s first Five-Year Eco-nomic Development Plan (1962–1966) . The Korean government recognized the demand for a comprehensive CRVS system that would serve as the administrative base for rapid urbanization and industrialization . In 1987, the government began to develop databases for RR and population statistics as a part of National Basic Information System (NBIS) projects . The RR database development project aimed to provide computerized front-office services to citizens throughout the country .

The Case Study of Korea2

Furthermore, in 1995 it initiated master plans for high-speed broadband networks and in 2001 for e-govern-ment, motivated by the social campaign slogan “Let’s lead the world in terms of informatization, though we were late in industrialization .” Through these master plans, Korea became one of the countries achieving the highest rankings in the E-Government Development Index of the United Nations Department of Econom-ic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), and the information and communications technologies (ICT) Development Index of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in the 2010s . Currently, the RR system helps to manage online processing of administrative services, such as voting and immigration, and socioeconomic services, including health, welfare, and employment . While the RR service has faced various challenges since its implementation, it serves as the core information depository providing diverse public services to citizens based on their residency .

Concept and Significance of CRVS

Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) refers to universal, continuous, permanent, and mandatory recording and documentation of the occurrence and characteristics of vital events such as births, deaths, mar-riages, divorces and annulments, adoptions, and legiti-mations, according to the legal and regulatory require-ments in each country (UNDESA, 2015) . Historically, state power has depended on the efficient management

of the regularized gathering, storage, control, and utili-zation of information on the nation’s population, hous-ing, and wealth for administrative purposes such as taxation, welfare provision, and so forth . In a contem-porary society, state building starts with the establish-ment of CRVS systems that are critical tools for making every life count . However, developing countries, faced with growing demands for economic and political developments, do not yet have such well-functioning CRVS systems in place . A report on Asia and the Pacific area indicates that about 135 million children under the age of five do not have their births registered and 9 out of 10 people live in countries with unreliable death statistics (UN ESCAP, 2014) .

Reliable and comprehensive CRVS systems are regarded not only as a basic component of good gover-nance, but also as essential for the production of vital statistics and of many health and population indica-tors (UN System Task Force, 2013) . In May 2014, the World Bank Group together with several international and regional organizations published the Global CRVS Scaling Up Investment Plan 2015–2024 (World Bank 2014) . Furthermore, CRVS is featured prominently in the sustainable development goals (SDGs) . With the use of information and communication technologies, use of CRVS can facilitate the innovation of admin-istrative rules, processes and procedures, and working practices of civil servants . The CRVS system of Korea has evolved since the 1960s, relying largely on two basic tools: one is legal and institutional rearrangements; and the other is digitization and e-government (Figure 1 .1) .

Table 1 .1 Major Socioeconomic Indicators of Korea’s Growth

Category 1962 2014

Total area (km2) 98,431.03(1961) 100,283.9

Population

Total population (thousands) 26,513 50,424

Population density (persons) 275 503

Level of urbanization (%) 39.1(1960) 82.2(2013)

Gross Domestic ProductsTotal (USD 1 billion) 2.75** 1,410.38*

Per capita (USD) 103.57** 27,970.5*

Source: Statistics Korea (http://www.index.go.kr), World Bank DataBank,* Index Mundi**.

Introduction 3

During this period, continuous policy-oriented learn-ing has provided feedback for each step of the evolution . CRVS services that originally required visits in person to public service centers with paper documents have changed into on-line transactions, which allow service delivery anywhere, anytime through diverse channels . Developing countries that have weak or non-existent CRVS systems can benchmark the RR information sys-tems of Korea that play a key role in linking data for successful e-government services to citizens .

Organization of the Report

Chapter II of this report introduces institutional aspects of Family Relationship Registration (FRR), RR, the population change survey (PCS), and national health insurance (NHI), all of which are fundamental components of Korea’s CRVS system . In particular, the chapter focuses on the RR system consisting of the RR

Record Card, RR certificate card, Resident Identifi-cation Number (RIN), and RR governance and pro-cesses . Chapter III focuses on the civil management information systems (CMIS) associated with FRR, RR, PCS and NHI . It also describes governance and work processes, the administrative information-shar-ing system, and the physical integrated-management operations of these information systems . Chapter IV provides information on various legal and regulatory frameworks associated with the CRVS system . Chapter V discusses basic strategies that the Korean government has adopted towards e-government projects since the 1980s . It identifies critical factors contributing to the success of Korea’s e-government, including strong polit-ical leadership, strategic planning, human and financial resources, and project management . In Chapter VI, the report presents lessons learned and solutions to cur-rent challenges, and continues with a discussion of the future of Korea’s CRVS . Chapter VII contains conclud-ing remarks .

Figure 1 .1 Evolution of Korea CRVS

• Agency-centric CRVS services • Family Relationship Registration • Resident Registration • Population Change Survey

• Physical visits in person • Multi-stops • Multi-ministerial processes • Multi-levels of government

• 8/5/250 • 8 work hours a day • 5 work days a week • 250 work days a year

• Paper documents • Application forms • Accompanying papers

• Institutional rearrangements• Digitization and e-Government

Feedback

Policy Oriented Learning

• Government-wide integrated services • Info sharing system • Open platform

• Multi-channels • Mobile devices • Personal computer • Kiosks • Hyper connected networks

• 24/7/365 • Always-on • Any time in any place

• Electronic documents • Human-readable format • Machine-readable format

1960s 2010s

THE FRAMEWORK OF CRVS

Governance Structure

Korea’s civil registration (CR) system consists of the two distinct but closely related components of FRR and RR . FRR builds institutional structure both per individ-ual and per family for the purpose of registration and verification of occurrences and changes in family relationships such as births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and adoptions . RR assesses residential relationships and population movements to enable the carrying out of appropriate administrative activities and the delivery of public services such as employment, public welfare services, and social security . The Population Change Survey (PCS), a key component of Vital Statistics (VS), is a national statistical survey based on the individual FRR system . Statistics Korea integrates the batch data of the PCS collected by local governments and makes the data public on a monthly basis . FRR, RR and PCS inter-relate with each other in terms of subject of registration, overseeing authority, registration address, and regis-ter book (Table 2 .1) . FRR is a medium for displaying a permanent address to verify family relationships based on bloodline and kinship, whereas RR is a policy tool for managing the residency of citizens . Citizens and public servants are legally obliged to register any changes and the entire processes related to the FRR and the RR, or they have to pay a fine . This requirement helps offices in charge, collect, and update CRVS information in databases in a timely and precise manner .

In terms of CRVS governance, Korea has in place a hybrid system of CR operation and maintenance where both central and local governments exercise their own roles and responsibilities . (See Table 2 .2) The Supreme Court, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), and Statistics Korea, respectively, assume FRR, RR, and VS policy domains, and are responsible for planning, developing, and managing the national database system, and for monitoring and evaluating the national systems as a whole . At the local government level, actual registration

2


is undertaken in an integrated manner at 226 city, county, and district offices (Si/Gun/Gu), and at 3,560 community service centers (Eup/Myeon/Dong) . City, county, and district offices are responsible for main-taining continuity and consistency of CRVS informa-tion through the synchronization of FRR and RR data (RR Act, Article 15) .

Family Relationship Registration

The FRR refers to all activities concerning the registra-tion and certification of establishment and change of family relations such as the birth, marriage, death, and so forth, of people and their activities (FRR Act, Article 1) . Information in the FRR includes traditional blood

Table 2 .1 Basic Structure of CRVS (FRR, RR, and PCS)

Category

Civil Registration Vital Statistics

Family Relationship Registration Resident Registration Population Change Survey

Subject of registration

Birth, death, marriage, divorce, and so forth Birth, residency (30 days or over) Birth, death, marriage, divorce, and so forth

Overseeing authority

Supreme Court Ministry of the Interior Statistics Korea

Address for registration

Permanent address (location of FRR information)

Residence (same as or different from the permanent address)

Permanent address

Register book FRR register RR Record Card (individual, household)

Population Change Survey(monthly batch statistics)

Table 2 .2 Public Governance of CRVS Task

Institution Main Task

State government Supreme Court • Manages affairs related to the registration of establishment and change of family relations and certification

• Manages the Central Computerized Information Office

Ministry of the Interior • Plans and oversees national-level tasks like standardization of forms, re-amendment of the RR Act, and so forth

• Directs and advises RR service delivery tasks• Directs and advises digitization and information sharing

Statistics Korea • Coordinates and maintains matters concerning statistics• Devises measures to expand the collection, dissemination and use of statistics

Local government Metropolitan city/province(Gwangyeoksi/Do)

• Directs and advises FRR, RR, PCS tasks under its jurisdiction• Approves usage of computer processing information among related entities within the

jurisdiction of each

City/county/district(Si/ Gun/Gu)

• Receives FRR and PCS data and reports to higher offices• Issues RR certificate cards and grants RINs to applicants• Inspects RR record cards and uses certified and abstract copies

Community Service Center (Eup/Myeon/Dong)

• Receives FRR and PCS data and reports to higher offices• Receives moving-in reports; inspects RR record cards; delivers certified and abstract RR

copies and grants RINs• Manages digitization processes of RR tasks

Source: The Ministry of the Interior, 2015.

The Framework of CRVS 7

ties and the relationship among relatives, such as the permanent address, name, sex, birthdate, and marital status of oneself and one’s parents . The Family Register Act, the former system of FRR, had a strict stipulation that only a male could become a head of a family, and had long faced criticism that it maintained a patriarchal bloodline and discriminated against women . In 2005, the Constitutional Court declared the system unconsti-tutional for infringing on human dignity in the context of marriage and family life . The Family Relationship Registration (FRR) Act) was enacted in 2008 to replace the Family Register Act .

Table 2 .3 lays out the relevant regulations asso-ciated with basic FRR items, such as the time of dec-laration, declaration form, accompanying documents, persons obligated to report, and reporting location . The person obliged to report a birth must be one of the following: (1) a married parent of the child; (2) the mother of the child in the case of a child born out of wedlock; or (3) a relative living with a parent or the doctor or midwife who assisted the childbirth . He or she has to file the birth report within one month of the

birth by submitting a birth certificate, issued by a doc-tor, to a city office or community service center for the birth address . The reporting may be made by a written document, oral expression in person, mail, or electronic networks .

The birth report includes the following informa-tion: (1) the infant’s name, family clan, sex, location of registration; (2) classification of birth (that is born in wedlock or out of wedlock); (3) date of birth, location, and so forth . (See Table 2 .4) . A person can change his or her location of FRR freely, but must report changes to the relevant administrative agency of their new loca-tion at the time of change . Since an infant cannot select a location of registration by his or her own will, the location registered by parents is normally used . Details such as infant’s gestation period, weight, and parents’ nationalities need to be included in the vital statistics portion of the Population Change Survey on the birth report .

When an employee at the city office or commu-nity service center electronically enters a birth report into the FRR database, the infant receives a unique

Table 2 .3 The Family Relationship Registration System

Category Birth Death Marriage Divorce

Legal base Article 20, 21, 44–51 Article 20, 21, 84–91 Article 20, 71–73 Article 20, 74–78

Time period of registration

Within 1 month of birthdate

Within 1 month of knowledge of death

No fixed time period. However, a civil marriage must be reported within 1 month of date of registration.

• Divorce by mutual consent: within 3 months of court confirmation issuance date

• Judicial divorce: within 1 month of date of court judgment

Registration form Birth report Notice of death Marriage license Divorce statement

Accompanying documents

Birth certificate (Doctor) Death certificate or postmortem examination certificate (Doctor)

Civil marriage: copy and certificate of conclusion of judgment (Court)/ registration

• Divorce by mutual consent: copy of confirmation

• Judicial divorce: copy and certificate of conclusion of court judgment

Persons obliged to report

Parents Relatives residing together Persons concerned Persons concerned

Reporting location Location of birth, location of registration, office for address of reporter

Location of registration of deceased, location of death, burial, crematory, office for reporter

Location of registration for persons concerned, office for reporter

Location of registration for persons concerned, office for reporter

Source: Korea Legislation Research Institute (http://www.klri.re.kr/), 2014.

http://www.klri.re.kr/


resident identification number (RIN) and is recorded as a household member of the parents in the RR informa-tion system (Figure 2 .1) . The premium for the National Health Insurance (NHI) for the infant is paid through registration in the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) under the names of his or her parents, which is linked to the information system of the hospital that delivered the child .

A cohabiter, caretaker, or the head of the com-munity at the location of a death within one month after he or she learns of the death must report it, using either a doctor’s death certificate or a post-mortem ex-amination certificate, to the relevant city office or com-munity center of the location of death, burial or cre-mation (Figure 2 .2) . The death report includes name, sex, location of registration, resident identification

Table 2 .4 Information Needed in the Registration Form

Category FRR VS (Population Change Survey) Accompanying Documents

Birth Name, sex, birth status in or out of wedlock, location and time of birth, address, RINs of the parents, location of registration of parents, agreement of surname, name/qualification/phone number of reporter

Gestation week, weight, multiple births (order of birth), nationalities of parents, actual date of birth, education, occupation, starting date of marriage, total number of births of the mother

Proof of birth: name/age/parents’ occupation, mother’s address, location/date/time of birth, name/sex of infant, period of pregnancy, multiple birth (birth order), physical condition/weight/health of infant, number of births of the mother

Death Name, RIN, location of registration, address, date of marriage dissolution before death, occurrence of surname agreement

Cause/type of death, time period of sickness, type/time of accident, region/location of accident, nationality, education, occupation, marriage status

Postmortem examination certificate: name, sex, RIN, actual date of birth, family clan and address, time/location/ type/cause of sickness and death

Marriage Name, RIN, location of registration, address, date of previous marriage dissolution occurrence of surname agreement

Actual start date of married life, nationality, type of marriage, education, occupation

Divorce Name, RIN, location of registration, address

Actual start date of married life, actual date of divorce, number of children under 19, reason for and type of divorce, nationality, education, occupation

Figure 2 .1 Birth Registration Process

Proof of Birth(Hospital)(Doctor)

Reimbursement(National Health Insurance Service)

Resident Registration(Ministry of the Interior)

Naming(Parents)

Birth(Hospital, home, etc.)

(Mother)

Birth Report/PopulationChange Survey (Parents)

Family RelationshipRegistration

(Supreme Court)

Population Statistics(Statistics Korea)


number, location of death, and the time and date of the death, and it is included in the Population Change Survey .

To report marriage or divorce, the parties in-volved need to report to a relevant FRR office . Ques-tions about the name, family clan, date of birth, RIN, and location of registration of the persons involved, as well as the name, location of registration, and RINs of his or her parents, are included in the declaration form . While the Supreme Court and central government agencies handle CRVS policies separately, working-lev-el tasks are carried out in an integrated manner by city offices and community service centers . The FRR con-tains sensitive personal information that can only be shared with organizations under regulated and restrict-ed conditions managed by the Supreme Court .

Resident Registration System

OverviewThe RR system manages information on the residency of citizens according to the 1962 RR Act for three pri-mary purposes: strengthening national security, pro-viding efficient management of citizens’ residential information, and providing social services to residents (Table 2 .5) . Since its initiation, the Korean government has continuously added new policy goals to the system . As a result, the key focus has changed remarkably since the 1960s, largely in the following three stages: the con-trol stage during the 1960s and 1970s (institutionaliza-tion); the management stage in the 1980s and 1990s (digitization and expansion of scope); and the service stage since the 2000s (e-government service) .

Figure 2 .2 Death Registration Process

Proof of Death(Hospital)(Doctor)

Reimbursement(National Health Insurance Service)

Resident Registration(Ministry of the Interior)

Report of Death(Family of the deceased)

Death(Hospital, home, etc.)

(Family of the deceased)

Death Report/Population Change Survey�(Family of the deceased)


(Supreme Court)

Population Statistics(Statistics Korea)

Table 2 .5 Purpose and Benefits of RR System

Purpose Benefits

Strengthening of national security Maintenance of social order through public peace, national security, terrorism prevention, and so forth

Providing efficient management of citizens’ residential data

Efficient supervision of residence for the taxation, military service, elections, and so forth

Providing social services to residents Management of service blind spots and overlap in education, welfare and healthcare, and so forth


In the 1960s and 1970s, the RR system was aimed primarily at controlling residents for purposes of national security due to the circumstance of contin-uous infiltrations from North Korea . The South Kore-an government used the RR certificate card and RIN system as a means for mobilizing military resources and for identifying suspected criminals and spies . In the 1980s and 1990s, the main goal shifted to achiev-ing more efficient management of the RR system . For example, the establishment of an RR database system in 1993 made it possible to implement two significant measures relating to economic justice and administra-tive transparency: (1) enforcement of transactions of financial companies with customers under real names, commencing in 1993; and (2) registration of real es-tate under an actual titleholder’s name, commencing in 1995, to prevent anti-social acts such as speculation and evasion of taxes . . Since the 2000s, the government has been strengthening its capacity to provide person-alized services to residents at any time, in any place, by depending on e-government systems linked and shared by the RR system . Since 2001, citizens have been able to use online channels to report residential relocations to the metropolitan unit of their local government . They can also obtain various types of certificates via

the Internet at home or in public kiosks as a result of the implementation of the ‘Government for Citizen’ project (G4C) (2001–2003) . The G4C provides e-gov-ernment services through an Internet-based single win-dow portal, shares RR information among government agencies to verify the applicant’s eligibility for those services, and thus reduces the number of documents submitted and trips to government offices . The G4C system has transformed into the present Minwon24 portal website . Table 2 .6 shows the development of the RR system .

Resident Registration Record CardThe RR data at the local office level consists of two ele-ments: the Individual RR record card, which compre-hensively manages individual records, and the House-hold RR record card, which consolidates and manages the records of each household . The RR record card contains basic information about individuals and their households . The cards can be issued in the form of an abstract or with a full version based on the information of the household . The Individual RR record card con-tains 11 items such as the individual’s name, date of birth, sex, RIN, and so forth, while the Household RR

Table 2 .6 Development Stages of the RR System

Category Year Resident Registration System

1st Stage(Institutionalization) (1962–1986)

1962 Legislated RR Act, Issued city/province resident cards (ID Cards)

1968 Introduced RIN (12 digits) and RR certificate card (Age>18)

1975 Changed RIN (13 digits), RR certificate card issuance object (Age>17)

2nd Stage(Digitization)(1987–2000)

1987 Built a national RR database (National Basic Information Systems)

1991 Started digitization of RR data of 3,700 community service centers

1994 Completed digitization of RR record cards (70 million citizens and households) and started online issuance of cards

1999 Announced blood-type in the RR certificate card as optional

3rd Stage(Online Services)(2001-Present)

2001 Developed online RR Services (G4C)

2004 Introduced RR item authenticity inspection system; Started electronic issuance of certified copy/abstract of RR (G4C)

2007 Started the Administrative Information Sharing System (AISS)

2010 Started the Minwon24 System (Updated version of G4C)

2014 Started issuance of RR certificate cards to overseas citizens


record card has eight items, such as the surname of the household, RINs, and so forth . (Table 2 .7) .

When parents report the birth of their infant, the head of the city, county . or district office lists the infant as a household member in the Household RR record card of the parents after the issuance of an RIN to the infant . Since the RR system manages informa-tion on the location of residency, any change in the res-idency location of some or all of the household mem-bers requires the head of the household or the person concerned to report the new location to the local office at the newly relocated region within 14 days . When the relevant head of the household is unable to make the report, another person in charge, such as a person who has the custodianship of the household, a delegat-ed person such as the householder’s spouse, or a lineal blood relative, may file the report on his or her behalf . If someone reports a change in domicile following a move-in, the report is considered to have fulfilled the mandatory reporting of change of domicile in accor-dance with the Acts on Military Service, Civil Defense, Seal Imprint Certification, National Basic Living Secu-rity, National Health Insurance, and Welfare of Persons with Disabilities (RR Act Article 17) . The change in domicile is automatically updated in other administra-tive databases through the administrative information sharing system (AISS) .1

The head of each city, county, or district must prepare, keep, manage, and preserve RR record cards for each individual and household, along with the in-dex book for RR record cards by household, using an

electronic information processing system . In order to keep the RR record cards accurate and updated, any person who has failed to file a report on a change in any fact or, a change of domicile, or who has failed to apply for the issuance of an RR certificate card, is subject to a fine .

Resident Identification NumberThe RIN is a ‘personally unique registration number’ that the government issues to uniquely identify each citizen (RR Act Article 7) . Other distinguishing num-bers, such as passport or driver’s license number, can-not provide such multi-purposed functions as RIN provides .

Once issued, the RIN serves as a unique and primary key that offers description, verification and au-thentication, and information-sharing benefits to the holder . The RIN contains information that describes certain personal characteristics such as date of birth, sex, and region of birth or registration (description func-tion) . It can be used to validate a person’s identity when he or she needs to get various official documentations issued or make visits to government offices (verification and authentication function) . There is no overlap of RINs among citizens, which have lifelong validity, and can exclusively identify individuals (Song et al ., 2007) .

Table 2 .7 Entries of Resident Registration Record Cards

Category Information Included

IndividualRR record card(11 items)

RIN, name, date of birth, sex, blood type, standard location for registration, reason for changing standard location, address relocation details (for instance, move-in date, move-out dates, reason for move, head of household’s name and relationship with the individual), issuance history of RR Certificate (issuance, reissuance, photo), participating institutions, and so forth

HouseholdRR record card(8 items)

Head of household’s name, household number, address usage history data (address, move-in date, move-out date), relationship with household head (household members’ names, RINs, standard location for registration, reason for address change), cohabiter (name, relationship with household head, RINs, standard location for registration, move-in/out date), participating institutions, and so forth

1 Administrative Information Sharing System will be intro-duced in detail on Chapter III .


The RIN is also a medium through which personal in-formation collected by all administrative information systems can be shared (information sharing function) .

Introduced in 1968, the RIN initially contained 12 digits consisted of a regional number (six digits), sex (one digit), and personal serial number (five digits) . The RIN was modified in 1975 to consist of 13 digits indicating birthdate (six digits), sex (one digit), regional code for the place of original registration (four digits), reported order (one digit), and Error Verification Num-ber (one digit) . This 13-digit system is still in use today . (See Figure 2 .3) .

The head of a city, county, or district issues a RIN unique to each resident after the verification of the resident’s standard location for registration . The RIN is processed and recorded into the RIN issuance ledger book . The RIN system manages aggregated data through digital coding .2 Since the RIN consists of in-formation pertaining to each individual, including date

of birth, sex, location of birth registration, and so forth, it can distinguish individuals at any time in any place .

Together with the development of the AISS, pub-lic institutions utilize RINs for various public service purposes, such as to create a voter list for elections, to draft for military service, to enroll citizens in the educa-tion system, to manage the health insurance system, wel-fare service, and more .3 Furthermore, it has been a very convenient tool to track suspects or criminals, and to prevent and respond to terrorism, tax evasion, and other crimes . Private companies that operate website portals have also been heavy users of RINs . According to a sur-vey (MOI, 2015), public institutions in 2014 collected RINs out of legal necessity (62 .8 percent) or for iden-tity verification (31 .4 percent), whereas private sector businesses collected RINs for identity verification (57 .5 percent), legal necessity (41 .1 percent), and to conclude and carry out legal contracts (36 .8 percent) (Figure 2 .4) .

Frequent collection and heavy use of RINs by both public and private sectors have resulted in serious social concerns about potential problems of leaks, theft, or abuse of the RIN associated with financial frauds and crimes . As a response, three institutional remedies and regulations were developed for three primary reasons: first, to protect the RINs from illegal use; second, to allow reissuance of RINs when they are infringed; and third, to prevent the illegal or improper collection and use of the RIN in the public and private sectors . In the

2 The Japanese government since 2016 also has implemented a similar system that issues individuals a unique identifying number called the “My Number” for use in various areas such as tax, social security, and disaster management . How-ever, instead of personal identification numbers, such as date of birth, sex, and place of birth . used in the Korean system, Japan’s My Number system issues a random number that is changeable .

3 As of 2013, 77 legal acts out of 1,510 (5 .1 percent), 404 enforcement decrees out of 1,115 (36 .2 percent), 385 enforcement regulations out of 827 (46 .6 percent), and 3,557 legal forms out of 10,179 (35 .1 percent), have col-lected the RIN for identity verification, personal identifica-tion, age verification, and so forth (Shin, 2015) .

Figure 2 .3 Structure of the Resident Identification Number

1Year of birth

2

3Month of birth

4

5Date of birth

6

7 Sex

8

Initial place of resident identification numberissued �(Place of birth reporting, place of headsof community service center)

9

10

11

12 Order of reporting

13 Number of error verification


first case, Article 37 of the RR Act, introduced in 2014 (2014 .1 .21), imposes very strict punishment by impris-onment or a fine to any person who conveys to a third person a program for fabricating RINs or who distrib-utes such a program . The same enforcement measure applies to any person who discloses information on a third person’s RIN for profit-making purposes in viola-tion of the Acts and subordinate statutes, or any person who uses a third person’s RIN illegally .

In the second case, as incidents of infringement on RINs became more frequent, the government intro-duced a measure to allow easier modification or re-issu-ance of a person’s RIN . Originally, Article 7 of the RR Act strictly regulated the RIN and enforced life-long uniqueness and validity that was changeable only in ex-ceptional cases . The Constitutional Court declared the Article unconstitutional in 2015 on grounds of limiting human rights . The Court ruled that modification could be allowed if the previous RIN is linked to a new one and the change of the RIN is carried out by a trustworthy and objective organization . In accordance with the new Articles 7-4 and 7-5 of the RR Act, the administration introduced new rules permitting the modification of the RIN beginning in April 2017 . Now, in cases when a per-son faces danger or threat to his or her life, physical safety

or property, victimization from sexual violence, human trafficking, or domestic violence, he or she can legally ask to change the last six numbers of his or her RIN .

Third, in response to the problem of leaks, theft, or abuse of the RIN, the government introduced legal and regulatory requirements for processing sensitive and unique identification information that prohibit the acquisition of the RIN (Table 2 .8) . The administrative agencies with appropriate legal authority can only use citizens’ RINs for strictly limited purposes, and the private sector can only collect and use the RIN under even more strictly circumscribed conditions . The Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Data Protection (ICNUIPA) clearly prohibits all online acquisitions of the RINs, ex-cept for cases described in other legislation .4 The Act also required the destruction of previously collected RIN information by the end of 2015 .

4 The Korean government operates a dual system of personal information protection . The MOI regulates agencies and institutions in the public sectors under the Personal Infor-mation Protection Act whereas the Korea Communications Commission regulates businesses and civil society organiza-tions in the private sector under the ICNUIPA .

Figure 2 .4 Purpose of Resident Identification Number Data Collection, 2014 (unit: percentage)

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Legal dutycompliance

Personalidentification

Conclusion andimplementation of a contract

Other businessservices

Campaignor marketing

Private sector (n = 2,500)Public sector (n = 2,000)

Sources: The Ministry of Interior∙Personal Information Protection Commission, 2015.


Figure 2 .5 outlines legal guidelines for the pub-lic sector’s use or acquisition of an RIN . In the case of pre-existing legal grounds for RIN processing (that is, acts, enforcement decrees, enforcement regulations), or legal forms that require the attachment, submission, or examination of records that contain RIN entries, the sta-tus quo is to be maintained .5 If no legal basis exists in stat-utes for RIN processing, but RIN processing is required to carry out a given task, the government agency respon-sible for the task will issue the necessary legal directive . If an agency is using a RIN without a legal basis and the RIN is not required for a given task, it must immediately destroy the RINs and substitute them with alternatives such as a mobile phone number, date of birth, or I-Pin .

Alternative identification methods, including I-Pin, mobile phone number, Public Key Certificate, and date of birth, differ from the RIN in terms of the

number of subscribers, verification methods, personal identification agencies, target population, and public preference (Table 2 .9) .6 These alternatives are appropri-ate in preventing privacy violations caused by excessive circulation of the RIN .

The number of government statutes governing the use of RIN increased from 866 in 2013 to 1,114 in

Table 2 .8 Regulatory Structure of RIN Processing

Applicable Act Applicable Subject Basic Principle Exception

Personal Information Protection Act(2014)

Private information processor

Principle of prohibition from collecting RINs (Legal guidelines)

1. When allowed by law2. Urgent necessity, such as to protect physical health and safety3. Essential processing (MOI Decree)

Act on Information and Communications Network (2012)

Information and communications service provider

Principle of prohibition from collecting RINs (Legal guidelines)

1. Identity Verification Institutions2. When allowed by law3. Essential for commercial reasons, like a business interaction that

requires one’s real name, opening one’s phone (to prevent the use of burner phone) (KCC Announcement)

Source: Sim, 2015.

5 As of 2015, the registered number of legislations providing a legal basis for the collection of the RIN totalled 1,114, according to the portal website of the Personal Information Protection Commission .

6 A public opinion poll on RIN alternatives showed the fol-lowing methods were preferred, listed in order of preference: I-PIN (65 .8 percent), date of birth (32 .2 percent), mobile verification (29 .0 percent), public key certificate (11 .2 per-cent), other personal information (7 .2 percent) (Yeonhap News, March 9, 2015) .

Figure 2 .5 Resident Identification Number Processing Procedure by the Public Sector

1. Existence of statutes for handling RIN

2. Conclusively necessary for task (no possible alternatives)

a. Maintain current status (no additional measures required) * RIN processing basis found in statutes or legal forms

b. Provide legal basis (propose suggestion to ministries of offices involved, and arrange a legal basis in applicable statute)

c. Introduce an alternative method (delete RIN, and introduce alternative data ID methods, such as phone number, date of birth, I-Pin, etc.)

Yes

Yes

No

No

Source: Privacy Security Portal (http://www.privacy.go.kr), 2016.


2014, and to 1,272 (111 acts, 565 enforcement decrees, 596 enforcement regulations) by August 2015 (Shim, 2015) . Most statutes fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) (125), the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) (102), and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) (98) . This suggests that the RINs are mostly used, among other rea-sons, for public service purposes involving provision of welfare benefits, prevention of crime and promotion of security, and exercise of property rights . Some nongov-ernmental organizations that address privacy concerns argue for transforming the structural composition of the present RIN into a RIN with randomly generated num-bers that do not contain personally distinguishable in-formation . Because this would be too costly, the govern-ment has pursued other alternatives . One alternative is to expose the issuance number only, instead of the whole number of the RIN, on the RR certificate card . Another alternative is to issue new electronic RR certificate cards with a built-in integrated circuit chip . Currently, there is no consensus on either of these alternatives .

Resident Registration Certificate CardThe RR certificate card is the national identity card (NID) for the verification of a cardholders’ residency . It has universal usages of verifying a resident’s identity for a wide range of activities, including voting, commercial transactions, and social welfare transfers . The head of a city, county, or district issues a RR certificate card to res-idents in their jurisdiction who are at least 17 years old . The card contains universal information to facilitate

administrative tasks . City and provincial resident certif-icates had been in use since the enactment of the RR Act in 1962, but since 1970, the issuance and possession of the RR certificate card with the RIN imprinted has been mandatory for all citizens over the age of 17 .

Any judicial police officer may demand that a per-son over the age of 17 show his or her RR certificate card if necessary to verify the identity or domicile of a resident while making a criminal arrest or in performing his or her other duties (RRA, Article 26) .7 Now, RR certificate cards help reduce administrative processes requiring doc-uments for personal verification . There are three occa-sions where if any organization needs to verify the name, identification photo, RIN, or address of a person over 17 years of age in order to carry out its business affairs, it can verify such information of the person with his or her RR Certificate Card without requiring other supporting documents (RRA, Article 25) . Those occasions are:

1 . When it receives a civil petition or any other document

2 . When it issues a certificate to recognize the qual-ification of a certain person

3 . When it needs to verify the identification of a person for any other reason

Table 2 .9 Alternate Methods for Personal Identification

Category I-Pin Mobile Phone Number Public Key Certificate

Number of subscribers About 15 million About 54 million About 6 million

Verification method IP + password Date of birth, name, cell phone information Password input

Personal identification institution Credit rating agencies Telecommunications companies Public certification organizations

Target population I-Pin ID subscribers Owners of cell phone under their own names (All-purpose) Public Key Certificate Issue

Source: Korea Mobile Certification (http://www.kmcert.com), 2016.

7 This Article provides an important tool to maintain public safety by identifying spies or criminals on the spot in an age of authoritarian governments . Social Security Cards in the United States that only have social welfare policy purposes have the instructions “do not carry this card with you” and “keep it in a safe place” .


Since the 1990s, the RR certificate card has changed its main function from monitoring and man-aging citizens to conferring benefits on citizens by pro-viding identity verification for civil services delivered by administrative agencies, and by facilitating various private commercial and financial transactions . The RR certificate card is now the primary method of personal identification for delivery of public services, such as for passport issuance, pension payment, as well as for iden-tity verification in the private sector for commercial ac-tivities, including financial and real estate transactions, and acquisition of the certification (Figure 2 .6) .

In an effort to protect personal information, the government since 1999 has removed or limited sensitive

personal information included in the initial RR certificate card . This includes, for example, the location of the family register (the address of the head of household), date of birth, military service number, occupation, and thumb-prints . Today, the front side of the RR certificate card still contains the individual’s name, photo, RIN and address, while the reverse side contains a fingerprint (right thumb) and space for changes in address (Table 2 .10) .

Inclusion of bio-information on the RR cer-tificate card, such as fingerprint and blood type, is a controversial issue . Under the current law, a photo is required for identification, but submitting information on one’s blood type is optional . Some human rights groups oppose the collection of ten fingerprints that are

Table 2 .10 Data Collected for the RR Certificate Card Issuance and Information Included

Category Information Contents

Application form

Personal data • Name, RIN, name of the head of household, address, standard location for registration• Blood type, photo, fingerprints, special expertise• Phone number, cell phone number

Application contents

• Domestic resident or residence overseas• Previously issued or not• Receive in person visit or by registered mail• Guidance for receipt requested or not requested• Address for registered mail receipt

Method for identification

• By civil servant in charge, head of village, or family members

RR certificate card

Front side • Name, photo, RIN, current address, date issued, head of the agency of issuance

Back side • Address change history, fingerprint, guide for processing lost cards (for example, put in a mailbox if found)

Figure 2 .6 Resident Registration Certificate Card

Front Back

Source: The Ministry of Interior, 1999.


transferred to the National Police Agency for criminal investigation, and maintain that there is no clear legal basis for this practice . In response, the Constitution-al Court ruled that “while fingerprint information is bio-information, it is neutral information that does not represent personal characteristics since it cannot be used to determine and judge the personality, physical attributes or socio-economic status of an individual and therefore does not infringe a person’s right of self-deter-mination regarding personal information .” (Constitu-tional Court, May 26, 2005; May 28, 2015) .

The Korean government has taken several steps to protect and improve the quality and efficacy of the RR certificate card system . The MOI replaced all RR certificate cards issued to the whole population over the age of 17 three times—in 1975, 1983, and 1999—since their first issuance in 1968 . Government action was also taken with regard to the materials used in the issuance of the RR certificate card . In 1999, the mate-rial of the RR certificate card changed from paper to plastic . Additionally, since 2007, government agencies and banks have provided an authenticity verification service of the RIN through the Internet .

For the upcoming cycle of renewal or replacement of the plastic RR certificate card, experts suggest three options (Table 2 .11) . The first is to replace the current

RR certificate with an electronic national identity card (e-NID) that embeds an integrated circuit chip contain-ing sensitive personal information that can only be deci-phered with special equipment to prevent forgery . This option is to apply state-of-the-art technology retained by the Korea Minting, Security Printing & ID Card Op-erating Co (KOMSCO) that can prevent forgery and protect sensitive information by keeping RIN and finger-prints embedded onto an integrated circuit chip . Some non-government organizations have expressed concerns about the possibility of strengthened control on citizen supervision and information leakage .8 The second option

Table 2 .11 Alternative Renewal Options of Resident Registration Certificate Card

Category Replacement with Electronic Card Improvement of Current Card Maintenance of Current Card

Necessary legal condition

• Legislation amendment • Enforcement decree (that provides basis for information concealment)

• None (to maintain the current method)

Technical function • Utilizes security technology for the Electronic Passport (RIN and fingerprints recorded onto integrated circuit chip)

• Utilizes a special printing technique and other optical technologies (to conceal personal information with hidden image)

• Nothing, so it can be vulnerable to forgery and leakage of sensitive personal information

Advantages • Impossible to forge• Protection of sensitive information• Possible expansion of services

• Strengthened prevention of forgery information concealment

• Budget saved

• Maintains the current method without contest

Disadvantages • Opposition from NGOs (Due to the strengthened surveillance/restrictions and fear of information leaks)

• Large-scale budget is needed

• Limited prevention of forgery• Disposal costs in case of

changeover to the electronic RR Certificate

• Sustained problems of the current RR certificate

• Deterioration of identification verification function through damages and changes in appearance

8 E-NID policies are not consistent among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries according to the report made by the MOI (2013) . Among the OECD members investigated, 11 countries, including Germany (2010), now issue electronic identifica-tion, while six countries, including France, are pushing for a plan to introduce it . The other 17 countries, including Iceland, do not yet have any plans for the introduction of electronic identification . Some countries that have adopted the electronic identification have issued the electronic form of IDs to all of its citizens, while others have not made it a mandatory move . In the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, for example, a driver’s license is a legal and acceptable substitute for a national identification certificate .


is to improve the quality of the current RR Certificate Cards with new ones that have better security features, that offer better material resistant to pollution, fading and damage, and that utilize state-of-the-art ink technol-ogy for the prevention of forgery and optical technology to hide the RIN . This option seems more feasible polit-ically, but it has a limited effect on preventing forgery and introducing advanced technology . Finally, the third option is to continue issuing the current RR Certificates without the present problems being resolved . Despite the opposition by nongovernmental organizations (NGO)s, experts recommend the electronic RR certificate card, and further suggest the integration of other functions, such as a health insurance card .

Vital Statistics

OverviewVital Statistics (VS) chronicle a country’s fundamental demographic changes, such as births, deaths, marriages, and divorces, and inform public policies on population, residency, health, social welfare, education, and trans-portation . VS comprise data obtained from the Popula-tion Change Survey (PCS) collected based on citizens’ obligatory reporting of individual changes and from the Population and Housing Census (PHC) conducted once every five years .

The Statistics Bureau of the Economic Plan-ning Board initiated the PCS in 1962 as the primary

instrument for compiling national statistics, in conjunc-tion with the first Five-Year Economic Development Plan, under the stipulations of the Statistics Act and the VS Investigation Regulation . In 1970, the PCS format was integrated with the FRR format into a single sheet . From 1987 to 1991, the VS database was developed as part of the NBIS projects . In 1997, the electronic input system was completed, and in 2004, an Internet-based VS entry system began its operations . (See Table 2 .12) .

Population Change SurveyThe PCS is a national investigative statistics survey that collects data on births, deaths, marriages, and divorces based on the individual FRR system . PCS differs from the RR in that it covers citizens living abroad as well as within Korea . It does not provide survey results in real time, but on a monthly basis (Figure 2 .7) . According to the Statistics Act, every citizen, residing domestic or abroad, must fill out the items on the PCS found at the lower part of the birth and death forms when reporting such occurrences . These items include, for example, the gestation week and weight of an infant, their order of birth, and parents’ nationality (See Table 2 .4 above) .

PCS items in the death report include details on the cause and type of death, region and location of the event, whether an accident is cited as a cause of death, nationality, and the highest level of education of the de-ceased . Marriage reports include the date of marriage, nationalities of the married couple, and the type of

Table 2 .12 Basic Structure of Population Change Survey

Category Main Contents

Legal basis • The Statistics Act: Designated Statistics (Article 17, Paragraph 1), Approval Number (Number 10103, Article 18, Paragraph 3; Article 25; Article 26)

• VS Investigation Rules (Ministry of Strategy and Finance Decree Number 425)

Target of investigation

• Target: every citizen (individuals) living in the territory or abroad• Contents: FRR and birth, death, marriage, divorce reports

Period of investigation

• Relevant Investigation period: investigation from day 1 to the last day of the month, and from day 1 of the next month to the last day of that month; reports compiled and presented by month

• Investigation cycle: monthly

Source: Statistics Korea, 2015.


marriage (first marriage, remarriage after bereavement, or remarriage after divorce) . Similarly, divorce reports include details of the date of marriage, official date of divorce, number of children under 19 years of age, type of divorce (consultation on divorce or judicial divorce), and the reason for divorce .

When a person files a report, a community service center or the city or county office gathers, aggregates,

and sends the data to Statistics Korea through the met-ropolitan city or province . PCS provides monthly batch statistics that are recorded from the first day and end on the last day of the month . PCS proceeds in four stag-es: data entry, linking, categorization, and publication . Table 2 .13 shows an example of a method of handling statistics on the cause of death . Figure 2 .8 also shows the data processing of the cause of death by Statistics Korea .

Table 2 .13 Publication of the Vital Statistics Data

Category Data Classification Data Public Announcement

Public announcement of results

Birth and death (Cause of Death) Annual (August)

Marriage and divorce Annual (April)

Multicultural vital statistics (birth, death, etc.) Annual (November)

Life table Annual (December)

Demographic trends (monthly birth, death, etc.) Monthly (2 months after investigation)

Report publication

Annual report of vital statistics Marriage/Divorce (May), Summary/Birth/ Death (October)

Annual report of the Cause of Death statistics National unit (October); City/province units (November)

Life table December

Open data Press release: Statistics Korea website Real-time online (http://kostat.go.kr)

Statistics table, report (online periodicals): National Statistics Site Real-time online (http:kosis.kr)

Detailed statistics not covered in public announcements: micro data Real-time online (http://mdss.kostat.go.kr)


Figure 2 .7 Data Processing of the Vital Statistics of Korea

Actor

Workprocess

Citizen Cities/counties/districts Statistics Korea

Documentsubmission

Data entry(FRR and

VS system)

Onlinesubmission

of entered data

Compilationand Editing

Analysis Releasing

Monthlyactivity

• Occurrence & reporting of birth,death, etc.• Reporting of Marriage, divorce, etc.

• Day 13–15: Deadline of data entry• Day 12–20: Checking duplicates and missing values• Day 18–20: Detecting content errors• Day 21: Cut-off for provisions

• Day 22–24: Editing and analysis• Day 25: Printing• Day 26: Releasing VS in January

January February

Data error (monthly, annual)

March (provisional)

Source: Lee, 2015.

http://kostat.go.kr

http://mdss.kostat.go.kr


There are three ways to announce the survey results: public announcement (monthly and yearly), report publication, and data disclosure (Table 2 .13) . VS is combined with other data such as the National Health Insurance (NHI) information and is used as a

reference for policymaking and business development . (Table 2 .14) .

To control the quality of the VS data, Statistics Korea conducts a regular quality assessment by a panel of experts every five years and an annual self-assessment .

Figure 2 .8 Data Processing of the Cause of Death by Statistics Korea

1. Data Entry

(2) External death & undefined causes

(1) Regular death report

(3) Additional data on Infant & fetal death

Physician

Family of the deceased

City/county/District Office Statistics Korea

Unreported deaths

Crematorium

2. Data Collection through Linking

Police OfficeNational Institute of

Scientific Investigation

NationalHealth

InsuranceService

DiseaseControlCenter

NationalCancerCenter

OccupationalSafety and

health Agency

Ministry ofNationalDefense

Source: Vital Statistics Division, Statistics Korea, 2016.

Table 2 .14 Main Fields of Use of Demographic Trends

Category Output Main Field of Use

Birth Number of births, crude birth rate, fertility rate, sex ratio of birth, number of multiple births, and so forth

• Used as basic data for projecting future population • Forecasts the number of hospital beds and doctors needed for obstetrics patients in proportion to the

number of births• Forecasts the demand for baby products; presumed costs of childcare; yearly investment expense in

educational facilities • Forecasts the quantity of future labor supply; policies on supply and demand of military service resources • Selects data for birth control or birth promotion policy • Provides the data to international organizations: UN, WHO, OECD

Death Death scale, death rate, cause of death, life expectancy, and so forth

• Used as basic data for projecting future population • Used as basic data for establishing health and disease control policy• Establishes prevention programs to reduce suicide, car crash, and so forth• Used as basic data for resource distribution in healthcare • Used as basic data for constructing life tables• Provides aggregated data to UN, WHO, OECD, and so forth

Marriage Number, type, rate, and average age of marriage

• Used as basic data for assuming fertility and projecting future population • Forecasts housing demand by marriage• Forecasts wedding expenses and demand for wedding supplies

Divorce Number, type, rate (by age), and average age of divorce

• Establishes prevention programs to address youth problems arising from parents’ divorce• Used as basic data for measuring prevention of family problems and for maintenance of healthy family



According to the quinquennial assessment in 2015, VS in Korea overall received a score of 4 .5 out of 5 .0 . In addition, the annual self-assessment is conducted by the person in charge, who responds to a checklist of 51 indicators using an electronic method via the Internet . Under the law, when a death occurs, the family should within a month fill out the notification forms with the medical certificate at the local administrative offices . In fact, under-reporting of death is minimal in Korea; it is estimated that more than 99 percent of deaths are regis-tered . However, fetal and infant deaths appear to be less accurately registered compared to other deaths . Statis-tical tabulations on the underlying cause of death and the causal relationship of the medical conditions with final death is conducted as recommended by WHO . Qualified coders in Statistics Korea determine the un-derlying cause of death (COD) .

VS in Korea, collected through registered dec-larations of birth, death, marriage, divorce, and so on, follow the recommendations of international organiza-tions and relevant legal frameworks . A number of steps are taken to improve the accuracy of the VS, including efforts to prevent the omission of birth and death re-ports, regular assessment and self-assessment processes, improvement of time-series analyses and definition of terms, and consultation with an advisory committee . For example, Korea’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Center provide supplemental information on incomplete death certificates . At the same time, there are ongoing efforts to strengthen the capacity of civil servants responsible for VS data entry and statistics, as well as for doctors who are in charge of issuing death certificates .

The Statistical Act (Article 33) stipulates the im-portance of protecting any sensitive information collected through the VS . Only civil servants who are responsible for the PCS may use and link the data, and this authority is revoked when the civil servant is reassigned to other du-ties . Personal information, such as the RIN, is managed in an encrypted form . Information download and printing are prohibited, and historical use of any personal informa-tion is strictly managed under the protection measures .

The PCS in Korea does not yet achieve 100 per-cent coverage and is still lacking some information . For example, while over 99 percent of VS related to births and deaths are registered, reports of fetal and infant death are less complete (Lee, 2015) . Moreover, some parents are reluctant to fill out specific items, such as their educational background . Currently, the Ministry of Interior works with the Supreme Court, Statistics Korea, and the Ministry of Education to find a bet-ter way to handle this type of sensitive data through inter-agency information sharing in streamlining the process of birth and death registration and PCS .

Population and Housing CensusThe government carries out the Population and Hous-ing Census (PHC) every five years for all citizens and foreigners living within the national territory accord-ing to their residency at the time of the survey . Statis-tics Korea supervises the entire process of the PHC, but local governments carry out the general survey . Five central government agencies conduct special surveys for overseas foreign missions, prisons, and the army corps . In 2015, the PHC changed its method from using the traditional household visit survey method to a registered census method that uses administrative information for typical characteristics, such as popu-lation, the number of households, and the total size of housing (Table 2 .15) .9 The registered census cre-ates 12 baseline statistical items by linking 23 types of administrative information from sources such as the RR register and the building register . This informa-tion, in turn, comes from 13 government agencies, including the MOI, MOHW, Supreme Court, and Korea Electric Power Corporation . This procedure reduces the population sample required for the census

9 The World Economic Forum (2015) by 2023 expects an emergence of countries that identify the demography of their nations through big data analysis instead of population censuses .


survey from 100% to 20%, resulting in saving large implementation cost .

Statistics Information SystemIn 1987, as one of the National Basic Information Sys-tems (NBIS) projects, the government initiated a data-base operation that contains economic statistics to pro-vide basic statistics for policy formulation . Population statistics were included as one of 20 databases, including

consumer prices, industrial products, and exports and imports, all figures that can shed light on the status of economic development . Statistics Korea made these population statistics public in 1991 through the por-tal website of the Korea Statistics Information System (KOSIS) . The first screen of the KOSIS site shows major indicators of the VS, including total population projected, monthly household income, unemployment rate, per capita GNI, life expectancy at birth, total fer-tility rate, and more (Figure 2 .9) .

Table 2 .15 Changes in the Population Census between 2010 and 2015

Category2010 Census (based on population census)

2015 Census(based on registration census)

Participation rate 100 percent participated (approximately 50 million) 20 percent participated (approximately 10 million) (burden of response reduced by 80 percent)

Utilization of survey result

Publication of survey result • Publication of survey result,• Link and share information with citizens and to government agencies

Budget 271 billion KRW 126 billion KRW

Data qualification Restricted policy utilization due to insufficient information from data-providing organizations

Registration census has sufficient information and can provide feedback to data-providing organizations

Source: Statistics Korea, Korea’s Population Census (http://www.census.go.kr), 2016.

Figure 2 .9 Website of the Korean Statistical Information System (KOSIS)

Source: Korean Statistical Information Service (http://kosis.kr), 2016.

http://kosis.kr


National Health Insurance

Governance StructureNHI is a social security system, which, as the insurer, manages and operates insurance premiums and pro-vides benefits to subscribers to reduce the burden of high medical costs on households . Once a resident fulfills certain legal requirements of the Constitution, the Framework Act on Social Security, and the NHI Act, his or her subscription to the NHI is mandatory, thereby obligating the payment of the insurance pre-mium . The NHI charges a premium to each subscriber according to his or her ability to pay, and provides him or her with insurance services impartially, according to relevant regulations .

Korea’s health insurance system began in 1963 with the enactment of the Medical Insurance Act, which was an optional insurance scheme for employers of 300 or more employees . The system gradually expanded and became mandatory for entities with five or more employees . The insurance system expanded its coverage in 1979 to include civil servants and school staff, and

then in 1989 to include all citizens . This medical insur-ance scheme adopted an independent self-supporting finance system for each employer, region, and insurance union . The NHI Act, enacted in 2000, makes the Na-tional Health Insurance Service (NHIS) a single insur-er that integrates all regional medical insurance unions (227), employer medical insurance unions (139), and civil servant and school staff medical insurers . Current-ly, the NHIS collects insurance premiums for other social insurance programs under the Four Social Insur-ance Programs, including pensions, employment insur-ance, and workers’ compensation .

The health insurance work process is a four-way relationship between the citizen, NHIS, the Health In-surance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA), and hospitals or pharmacies that provide medical services (Figure 2 .10 . As the single insurer, NHIS manages the eligibility of subscribers and their dependents and collects all insurance premiums while managing insur-ance payments to medical service providers . The NHIS disburses insurance payments after the HIRA reviews and assesses the pertinent costs . All Korean citizens pay

Figure 2 .10 Governance of National Health Insurance System

Co-payment

Health Care Service

Contribution

Ask NHIS to pay forhealth care service costs(corporation’s share)

Ask the corporation topay�for care benefit expense(corporation’s share)

Announce review results

Medical Insurance Card

• Health Care Service Costs• Benefit Management• Health Checkup

Announce review results

Determine a policy

Evaluation Standards

• Manage qualifications• Impose and collect contribution• Pay health care service costs

• Deliberate on and determine health care service costs• Evaluate the adequacy of health care service costs

The Insured

NHISHealth Care�InstitutionsMinistry of Health

and Welfare

Health Insurance Review& Assessment Service

Source: NHIS (http://www.nhis.or.kr/static/html/wbd/g/a/wbdga0401.html), 2016.


insurance premiums to the NHIS and must pay their portion of the insurance payment as co-insurance to the medical service provider .

CRVS and Health Insurance System The integrated CRVS and NID system in Korea enables subscribers of the NHI to receive medical and pharma-ceutical services anywhere in the country by using their RIN . The single insurer system also allows systemic simplicity and operational efficiency in managing the population’s medical insurance needs . This efficiency is complemented by the AISS whereby accurate data and information on eligibility of NHI subscribers, ben-efits received, as well as service records from medical facilities, can be used in real time for assessment and review . NHIS also contributes to evidence-based deci-sion-making on health-related policies and research by enabling the use of big data analyses .

In relation to the CRVS system, hospitals are one of the key players throughout the entire CRVS work pro-cesses . Over 99 percent of babies are born in hospitals and 73 percent of the deceased die in hospitals in Ko-rea (Figure 2 .11) . In addition, registration of births and deaths has to accompany certificate documents signed by a doctor . Medical facilities and pharmacies need to

submit a request for insurance payment to the NHIS after providing medical services to the insured . Medical service providers, including hospitals, dentists and phar-macies, receive the main portion of the insurance pay-ment from the NHIS, and any remaining payment due as co-insurance from the insured, at the time of service .

The cost of medical treatment is waived for in-pa-tient treatment for up to 28 days after the infant’s birth . When an infant is born, an employed subscriber must submit a dependent qualification eligibility request to the NHI service within 14 days of birth . The request form must include details such as employer informa-tion (business registration number, name of company, phone number), subscriber information (name, RIN, phone number), dependent information (relationship, name, RIN, date of qualification, qualification code, disability, veteran status, foreigner), and other relevant information . Self-employed or regional subscribers (that is, subscribers other than employed subscribers and his or her dependents) can visit a community ser-vice center and complete a birth report (FRR report) within 14 days of birth . The NHI service receives this information on a daily basis and grants eligibility for the NHI (Figure 2 .12) .

In the case of a death, a declaration of death is completed via an RR report at the nearest community

Figure 2 .11 Places of Birth and Death of Population, 2013

Place of birth

Place of death 73.1%

99.0%

16.6%

0.7%

0.3%

10.3%

0% 10% 20% 30%

Hospitals

40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Home Other*

Source: Statistics Korea, 2014 and 2015. * Other places of birth indicate transportation (bus, ship, car, and so forth) or public buildings; other places of death indicate social welfare institute, workplace or roadside, and so forth.


center . The NHIS receives notification and subsequent-ly withdraws the NHI account of the deceased . Since a death certificate has to attach a death report, stored data of the NHI service includes information on the death and the cause of death . The NHI’s information system consists of 80 units under five classifications of health insurance . Its scope of work encompasses han-dling of health insurance eligibility, consolidated social insurance premium collection, long-term care for the elderly, customer counselling support, and manage-ment support (Table 2 .16) .

NHI maintains six databases: health screen-ing, medical facilities, birth/death, service contribu-tions, patient registration, and long-term care (Figure 2 .13) . NHIS makes extensive use of administrative

information sharing to manage, among other things, the nation’s health insurance system, eligibility man-agement for subscribers, and premium collection . For example, in order to receive necessary information to determine the eligibility of a candidate subscriber, it collects CRVS information including birth and death (MOI), FRR (MOI and the Supreme Court), address (MOI), and immigration (MOJ), as well as other rel-evant information such as business registration and employment (National Tax Service (NTS), medical payment registration (MOHW), and disability regis-tration (MOHW) . In addition, information on person-al income (NTS), property tax (NTS), pension income (pension institutions), and business registration (NTS) are shared for insurance premium collection .

Table 2 .16 Components and Unit System of the Health Insurance Information System

Component Unit System

Health insurance Management of eligibility; management of medical care benefits; management of local insurance premium; imposition of workplace or business pay, payment after care; system of health examination

Consolidated collection of social insurance premium

Integrated notification of social insurance; default of taxes; information connection system

Long-term care insurance for the aged Use and recognition of long-term care, request for examination; payment of long-term care expenses; medical benefits; qualification check system for the insured

Customer service support Homepage system

Management support Data warehouse system

Figure 2 .12 Filing Eligibility Request for Health Insurance Services

Form the report

Applicant (Parents ofnewborn baby)

Reception andConfirmation

Insurance Service

Report handling

Insurance Service

Confirmative notice ofqualification acquisition

Insurance Service

Outcome Receipt

Applicant (Parents ofnewborn baby)


Figure 2 .13 The National Health Insurance Databases

Health screening DB

Medical institution DB

Mortality & birth DB

Beneficiary & contribution DB

NHID (2001–2013)

Service benefits DB

Managing eligibilities& contributions

Medical service/Health screening service

Whole population (50 millions)

Long-term care service

Long-term care DB

Patient registry DB

Sources: Park, 2015.

CIVIL MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM

Overview

The Korean government started to institutionalize the CRVS system (RR, FRR and PCS) in the 1960s based on paper work processes . In the 1980s, however, it began to build the civil management information system (CMIS) to achieve efficient work processes and effective service delivery of the CRVS .10 Clear goal-setting and proper strategic prioritization of master plans became the main factor for the success of the CMIS . In Figure 3 .1, the left side of the horizontal axis indicates the back office management (supply side), the right side indicates the front office service (demand side), and the vertical axis indicates the top-down approach initiated by presidents and/or prime ministers and the bottom-up approach by departments . The history of Korea’s CMIS shows a typical N-type growth model . The Korean government started with the enactment of the RR Act and a paper-based CRVS service at the first stage (localized automation within each agency in the 1960s and the 1970s) . The second stage was to develop the RR database and other national key database developments from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, followed by the third stage, which was to build an Internet-based e-government service in the late 1990s . The final stage is to build G4C (the prototype system of Minwon24), AISS, and the National Computing and Information Service (NCIS) Center for integrated ser-vice of FRR, RR, and VS .

10 The term “Civil Management Information System” in this report is used widely to mean e-government systems, necessary for implementing CRVS system, consisting of the key components including databases, digitized work processes, portal websites, government intra-network, and the Internet .

3



Central and Local Government AgenciesThe basic governance of CRVS falls under the respon-sibility of the Supreme Court (FRR), MOI (RR) and Statistics Korea (VS) (Figure 3 .2) . As mentioned, low-er-level administrative institutions execute the tasks of the FRR and RR, and they maintain physically separate databases located at the Judicial Archives Center of the Supreme Court and NCIS data centers of the MOI .

The National Court Administration manages in-dividual FRR tasks, such as birth and death reporting, while the Judicial Archives Center manages the infor-mation system . Electronic FRR services are provided through the FRR information system (http://www .efamily .go .kr), which is operated by Information Sys-tem Centers in city offices, community service centers, and consulates abroad (such as in Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka in Japan) which are supervised by 56 heads of the Local Family Court . In general, an individual CRVS information system undergoes a prescribed procedure to deliver services through the AISS . Provision of informa-tion through portals such as Minwon24 and online doc-ument issuance is possible using the FRR information system based on the AISS administered by the MOI .

While the MOI oversees RR tasks in general, and city, county, and district offices and community centers carry out the main RR tasks, metropolitan city and provincial governments play relatively small administrative roles . While city . county, and district offices collect VS data and transmit them to Statistics Korea, the statistics data-base is located at the NCIS data center . NHIS manages the NHI information system by linking approximately 80,000 hospitals and drug stores together .

National Computing and Information ServiceThe NCIS, launched in 2007, was a response to resolve problems resulting from the increase in information and communication equipment, such as redundant investment by different government agencies, a lack of professional human resources, poor server room envi-ronments, and inadequate security . NCIS addresses these issues by co-locating all information resources operated by different government agencies . It operates 22 information systems of central government agencies in each of its two data centers with a real-time mutual backup scheme . It serves as the national core facility that operates the integrated information system and national information network and handles external

Figure 3 .1 The N-Type Growth Model of CMIS of Korea

2nd stageNational key DBs (RR, etc.)

& High-speed network(1987–1995)

4th stageSmart government service

(Minwon24, AISS, NCIS, KOSIS)(2001-present)

1st stagePaper-based service &

local automation (RR Act)(1962–1986)

Top-down approach (Presidential agenda)

Bottom-up approach (Departmental agenda)

Back office management(Supply side)

Front office service(Demand side)

3rd stageAgency-centric e-Government

service (Tax, etc.)(1996–2000)

Sources: Park, 2015.

Civil Management Information System 29

cyber-attacks by employing cutting-edge technology (Table 3 .1) .

NCIS operates numerous information systems of 44 central government agencies in real time and provides mutual backup . The RR Computing and

Information Service located within the NCIS oper-ates the RR management information system that handles birth and death reports and residency data from cities, counties, districts, and communities on a real-time basis . In order to defend against cyber

Table 3 .1 Key and Target Functions of National Computing and Information Service

Key Function Target Functions

Operation of information system • Manages integrated systems of 44 central institutions • Reduces average functional disorders per month (reduction from 67 minutes before construction to less

than 4 minutes in 2014)

Response to cyber attack • Blocks real-time about 10,000 cyber-attacks per day on the centers • Removes vulnerability, block DDoS and resolve hacking in 10 minutes

Operation of national communication network

• Manages networks used by government and 776 public institutions

Integrated information resources • Joint use and blanket purchase of ICT resources by government institutions; resulted in budget reduction of 30~60 percent

Utilization of new computing technology

• Converts into cloud Computing Center• Operates and structures big data common platform

Source: National Computing and Information Service, 2015.

Figure 3 .2 The Structure of CRVS Governance


Health InsuranceVital StatisticsResident Registration

Ministry of CourtAdministration

Ministry of Health & WelfareNational Statistics

AdministrationMinistry of the Interior

District Family Court (56) Metro City/Province (17)

City/Country/Province (226)

Community ServiceCenter (3,560)

Hospitals (32,000)

NationalHealth

Insurance

NationalComputing &Infor Service

CentralComputing

Center

Health InfoReview &

Assessment

Supreme Court President

* The number in parenthesis is the number of offices throughout the nation.


threats and hackings, as well as physical hardware fail-ures, the RR information system is operated in two locations with a mutual back-up configuration at the RR Computing and Information Service Center and the Backup Center, which are far (roughly 100 miles away) from each other . The NCIS also oversees the Minwon24 and the AISS .

The NCIS has transformed continuously in more advanced directions from mere co-location of systems of central agencies that had been located in physically separated places to a system of hardware consolidation and integrated services shared between them . It is now transforming from fragmented, smoke-stack legacy systems into a cloud computing system based on computing resource sharing rather than on local servers or personal devices to handle applications . Cloud computing is the information processing system that makes it possible to use integrated and shared re-sources flexibly for information and communications, such as software, devices, and networks for informa-tion and communications in accordance with chang-es in requirements or demands of users . It enables ubiquitous and on-demand access to a shared pool of computing resources like networks (Infrastructure as a Service, IaaS), portals and applications (Platform as a Service, PaaS), and software (Software as a Service, SaaS) (Table 3 .2) .

Other Public InstitutionsIn Korea, a number of public institutions carry out works commissioned by central government agencies in

accordance with the Act on the Management of Public Institutions . Public institutions are not administrative agencies, so their employees are not civil servants . In addition to government commissioned works, employ-ees of public institutions (HIRA) (http://www .hira .or .kr), offer specialized expertise to support the CMIS (Table 3 .3) . The Supreme Court and Statistics Korea do not have independent public institutions that carry out their FRR and VS duties .

The National Information Society Agency (NIA) (http://www .nia .or .kr) provided technical support for the NBIS projects (1987–1995), and played an import-ant role in the development of national e-government projects (2001–2007) such as Minwon24, AISS, and NCIS and information Superhighway (1995–2005) . It also contributed to the development of the Supreme Court’s FRR system . The NIA currently supports the central government on information and communi-cation policies (ICT future strategies and investment plans, global cooperation), ICT convergence (Internet of Things, unified infrastructure and services), e-gov-ernment planning and project management (expert technological support, smart platform, and network service), and digital culture (digital culture and capaci-ty development) .

The Korea Local Information Research and De-velopment Institute (KLID) (http://www .klid .or .kr) is in charge of local e-government projects . It operates and maintains information systems for administration, finance, taxation, and human resources of local gov-ernments, reviews redundancy in IT projects among local governments, develops EA models for local

Table 3 .2 Evolution of the National Computing and Information Service

Category 2005–2007 2008–2012 2013-Current

Key characteristics Co-location of central ministries’ systems

Hardware consolidation, and integrated services

Introduction of cloud computing

Contents Integrated management of 44 ministries’ systems; Integrated computer centers’ resources

Integrated ministries’ servers; Integrated infrastructure resources; Reinforced network security

Introduced SaaS, IaaS, PaaS, and so forth; built common platform service for analysis of big data

Source: National Computing Information Service, 2015.

http://www.klid.or.kr


administration, and finds and distributes cases of suc-cess throughout local governments .

The Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA) (http://www .nia .or .kr) is a public institution responsible for building the foundation for the Internet, responding to invasions of national information security and person-al information, and promoting the information security sector . KISA’s primary duty is to prevent cyber threats to the Internet, such as external hacking, malicious codes, and cases of distributed denial of service (DDoS), as well as minimizing the damage in the occurrence of such events . It also implements policies for protecting per-sonal information, such as the provision of the Internet personal identification number (I-Pin) and offline RIN alternatives (My-Pin) . This agency regulates the online collection, usage, and storage of the RIN by setting up a RIN Clean Center (http://www .eprivacy .go .kr) .

The Korea Minting, Security Printing, ID Card Operating Corporation (KOMSCO) (http://www .komsco .com) manufactures national identification products, including passports, cards and RR certificate cards . This corporation uses cutting-edge technology for forgery recognition and prevention .

The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) (http://www .nhis .or .kr) is a quasi-govern-mental agency with more than 12 thousand employ-ees that plays a key role in maintaining the health of the entire population through efficient and transpar-ent operation of the national health insurance sys-tem . It takes charge of supervision of the eligibility of policyholders and their dependents, imposition and collection of insurance premiums and other fees, ad-ministration of insurance benefits, and operation of preventive programs necessary for the maintenance and improvement of the health of policyholders and their dependents, payment of insurance benefit costs, and so forth .

The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) (http://www .hira .or .kr) reviews and assesses medical care benefits, while NHIS issues insur-ance payments for the prevention, examination, treat-ment, and rehabilitation of citizens after illnesses and injuries . It oversees health insurance matters regarding births and deaths, and assists in health improvement activities by monitoring physical activities of elderly groups with various difficulties .

Table 3 .3 Public Institutions Supporting CRVS in Korea

InstitutionMinistry

Concerned Main Functions

National Information Society Agency(NIA)

MSIP Develops and manages national ICT development strategies; develops infrastructure of national information communications and ICT converged services; develops and manages business promotion and e-government policy

Korea Local Information Research and Development Institute(KLID)

MOI Operates and maintains local information systems of administration, taxation, finance, human resources; develops and distributes EA model for local governments; reviews redundancy in IT projects among local governments; searches and distributes models of excellence

Korea Internet and Security Agency(KISA)

MSIP Develops internet and information protection industry; creates personal information protection and safe internet usage; develops policy and technology for internet and information protection

Korea Minting, Security Printing & ID Card Operating Co.(KOMSCO)

MOSF Manufactures money and security printed products of bank notes and coins; manufactures ID products: RR, passport, credit card; manufactures forgery prevention products

Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA)

MOHW Examines costs and propriety appraisal of medical care benefits; develops standards of examination and appraisal

National Health Insurance Service (NHIS)

MOHW Manages qualification of subscriber and dependent; Collects insurance premium; manages insurance benefits and payment of benefit costs; integrates notification of social insurance premium

Sources: Ministry of Strategy and Finance; Korea Institute of Public Finance, 2015.

http://www.eprivacy.go.kr

http://www.nhis.or.kr


Civil Management Information Systems

Enterprise ArchitectureThe government establishes and operates the informa-tion technology architecture (ITA) to secure consis-tency, compatibility, and standardization of e-govern-ment systems developed by different administrative agencies, ensuring interoperability and expanding services for sharing . ITA11 is a systematic framework formulated to implement comprehensive analysis of the components of an entire organization, including the scope of its work, applications, data, technologies, and security . This analysis is conducted based on spe-cific guidelines and processes and on methodologies for optimizing the components through information sys-tem development based on the framework . According to the Electronic Government Act, the MOI formulates a master plan to introduce the ITA and disseminates a reference model for the ITA, after which each agency introduces its own ITA in accordance with the master plan . Figure 3 .3 shows the basic structure of the CRVS information system . The upper section represents por-tal websites that provide administrative services to cit-izens, such as the electronic FRR, Minwon24, KOSIS, and the NHIS . The middle section refers to the Public Information Sharing Center (PISC) that links all infor-mation systems from various agencies for data sharing .

The bottom section lists information systems, such as the RR database . While most administrative informa-tion systems, including Minwon24, are located in two NCIS centers, the Central Computing Center of the Supreme Court and the NHIS manage the FRR and NHI databases located in physically separated places .

Family Relationship Registration Information SystemThe Supreme Court developed the FRR information system in three stages . First, in 2007, the Central Com-puting Center built the web-based FRR information system (http://efamily .scourt .go .kr) . In 2008, it began providing online issuance services through linkage with the nationality system of the Ministry of Justice, and in 2011 with the MOI’s RR system . Since 2013, such con-nectivity enabled the viewing, issuing, reporting, and requesting of various FRR services, such as verification of birth, death, marriage, and adoption, through both the FRR information system of the Supreme Court and the MOI’s Minwon24 portal website . Recently, at the third stage, Internet-based declaration services will

11 The Korean government suggested using its Federal Enter-prise Architecture to execute e-government projects at the-whole-of-government perspective .

Figure 3 .3 Basic Structure of CMIS

Ministry ofthe Interior

Ministries Statistics KoreaMinistry of Health

and WelfareSupreme Court

Minwon24(www.minwon.

go.kr)……

Administrative Information Sharing System

KOSIS(www.kostat.go.kr)

Health Insurance (www.nhis.or.kr)

FRR(www.efamily.scourt.go.kr)

RRAdministrative

DataStatistics

HealthInsurance

FRR

National Computing and Information Service Centers(Real-time back-up system between main center and backup center)

ComputingCenter

Central ComputingCenter

Institution

Portal site

Data base

Physicallocation

http://efamily.scourt.go.kr


enable citizens to report various events such as births, marriages, or deaths and to improve the convenience for people . Currently, the RR provides core informa-tion for common use and reference among administra-tive agencies through the AISS .

Resident Registration Information SystemIn 1987, the Korean government initiated the NBIS projects to computerize five national key computer net-works: administration, defense, public security, finance and banking, and education and research . The admin-istrative network covered six databases closely related to CRVS: resident registration, real estate registration, automobile registration, population statistics, employ-ment, and customs . The RR information system, which began to be developed in 1987 alongside the NBIS, was put into operation in 1991 . In 1990, to ensure

accurate data input, all citizens had an opportunity for three months to check and verify previously-entered data by comparing their own RR Record Card data against previously handwritten data . By 1991, the RR system rolled out to 3,700 community service centers nationwide to store the RR database (19 million items of household data, 51 million items of individual data) .

Figure 3 .4 shows the basic structure of the present architecture of processing and storing of the RR database and transmission through the networks . When a citizen reports a new birth or move-in through the Internet, a mobile phone, a kiosk, or in person, a community ser-vice officer registers it in the RR database operated in real time by a city, county, or district office center . Then it is transmitted through the exclusive government commu-nications network to the RR computing and Informa-tion Center located at the first NCIS and is backed up automatically at the second NCIS center on a daily basis .

Figure 3 .4 Basic Architecture of RR Information Systems

2nd NCIS center(backup)

1st NCIS center(RR computing)

Community service center(FRR, RR Data entry)

Exclusive governmentcommunications network

In person

Internet

Internet

Internet

City/county/district(Real time processingof changes in data )

1st, 2nd NCIS centers,Health center, etc.

Residents

Mutualbackup

Infosharing

Integrated DB Integrated DB

RR DB

31 agencies70 tasks:• Family relationship• Immigration• Passport• Tax• Welfare• Education• …


The RR information system consists of two lay-ers: the Central Information System and the Informa-tion Systems for the city, county, or district . The Cen-tral Information System links to the metropolitan city or province or the city, county, or district to inform civil servants conducting tasks such as the provision of RR data, civil registration vital statistics, confirmation of RR certificate card issuance, authenticity verifica-tion of copies and abstracts, and other similar tasks . The city, county, or district information systems link to the community service center to inform tasks such as handling move-in reports, and viewing and distrib-uting RR record cards, RR certificate cards, and birth reports .

The central and city, county, or district informa-tion systems are in charge of handling birth reports and move-in reports, viewing and distributing RR Record Cards, and issuing and renewing RR Certificates online through civil petitioners, the Minwon24 portal, and kiosks . Both central and local RR information systems are linked with 31 central government agencies (70

tasks), such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Tax Service, and Statistics Korea, as part of the admin-istrative information sharing system .

Minwon24 PortalThe Minwon24 Portal system (http://www .minwon .go .kr), an upgraded G4C system, is a comprehen-sive electronic civil service window that continually processes various civil petitions through the Internet . (See the website first screen in Figure 3 .5) Citizens can apply and receive civil documentation online anytime and anywhere through the Internet-based Minwon24 system without having to visit the relevant agencies (civil petition processing without visiting, Article 9 of the Electronic Government Act) . According to current Internet guidelines for civil petitions set out by indi-vidual laws, civil petitions made through the Internet, such as a relocation report for the RR and land regis-ters, can be issued immediately through the Internet or mobile app or sent via post mail .

Figure 3 .5 The First Screen of the Minwon24 Portal Website

Source: Minwon24 Portal (http://www.minwon.go.kr), 2016.

http://www.minwon.go.kr

http://www.minwon.go.kr


Thanks to its user convenience, the number of cases handled by the Minwon24 portal increased from 83 million in 2009 to 113 .2 million in 2014, with civil petitions making up the highest number of cases (Figure 3 .6) .

Minwon24 provides guidance for accessing var-ious civil services at the front office through a menu leading to different sections, including civil service guides and petitions, verification services, useful infor-mation, user guides, and an individualized “My Page .”

It allows registration of civil petitions, issues civil doc-umentations, provides comprehensive information for families regarding various issues like health insurance, and offers basic services such as civil petition process-ing, a work management operation window, and online payment (Table 3 .4) .

Minwon24 provides a number of civil ser-vices through its connection to the RR database via the administrative information sharing system . The standard RR database is the central element of Minwon24 . The RR Record Card has the highest number of issuance requests at 38 .5 percent . Other documents issued or inspected include building reg-istrations, land registrations, land registration maps, and proof of local tax payments (see the top five on-line services in Figure 3 .7) .

Administrative Information Sharing System (AISS) Wide expansion of administrative information sharing and its full utilization among institutions are signifi-cant characteristics of the e-government of Korea . The AISS confirms and verifies a civil applicant’s identity and information using data related to RR, automobiles, real estate, and taxes that are mediated between infor-mation-holding and information-utilizing institutions through the PISC (Figure 3 .8) .

Figure 3 .6 Yearly Usage of Minwon24 Portal Services (unit: millions)

140

2009 2010 2011

Viewing Issuance Application Total

2012 2013 2014

83.388.7

102.5

115.4125.1

131.9

63.1 62.368.3 68.7 64.4 63.4

16.2

3.9

21.1

5.3

28.2

6.0

39.4

7.2

50.1

10.6

57.5

11.0

120

100

80

60

40

20

–

Source: Ministry of the Interior, 2015.

Table 3 .4 Main Menu Contents of Minwon24 Portal Website

Main Menu Sub Menu Services

Civil application guidance Package service guidance of civil application for livelihood; search 5,000 types of civil applications by institution, sector, index and theme

Civil application request 1,200 types of issuance and inspection; requests of 3,000 types of civil applications

Confirmation service Confirmation of RR and householder; confirmation and inspection of authenticity of submitted documents

Lifestyle information Customized examination of information useful for everyday life without having to visit corresponding institutions

User guidance Minwon24’s customer service center and site use; samples offered for preparation of applications; glossary of administration jargon

My page Recent details of application and civil application stored basket; confirmation of inspection of refund information; search function of real-time information.

Source: Ministry of the Interior, 2015.


Different types of information sharing include: simple transmission (one-to-one); distribution (one-to-many); collection (many-to-one); collection and distri-bution (many-to-many); and customized distribution formats as shown in Figure 23 . For example, the type of information sharing between the user (Statistics Korea) and the owners (13 ministries and agencies) belongs to the type 3 information sharing (collection) in Figure 3 .9 .

Data-owning and data-using institutions share information on FRR and RR through the PISC uti-lizing an encrypted format whereby a personal infor-mation manager keeps RINs safe by taking encryption measures under Article 24-2 of the Personal Informa-tion Protection Act so that they may not be lost, stolen, leaked, falsified, or damaged . The NHIS, for example, uses encrypted RR data for confirmation of insurance policy holders, delivery of notices, and applications for health services (Figure 3 .10) .

Figure 3 .7 Top Five Online Services via Minwon24 Portal Website (unit: thousands, percentage)

Issuing RRrecord card(10,162; 38.5)

Request and inspectionof certified copy of buildingregistration (7,500; 28.4)

Issuance andinspectionof certified

copy of landregistration map

(3,512; 13.3)

Issuance andinspectionof certified

copy of landregistration map

(2,072; 7.8)

Local tax paymentcertification(1,796; 6.8) Others

(1,373; 5.2)


Figure 3 .8 Structure of Administrative Information Sharing System

Data-using institution(618 institutions)

Information sharing system Data-holding institution

(32 institutions)

Information requestand utilization

Administrativeinstitutions

Front officeservicePublic

institutions

Educationalinstitutions

Financialinstitutions

Back officetask

Information• transmission• distribution• collection• collection and distribution• customization

• Information reference• Civil petition e-document• Inspection of required document(s)• Inspection of multiple documents on single screen• Trace management

• Information encryption and cryptography• Privacy protection

Information provided (148 kinds)• RR• National election• Legislation• International trade• Census • Etc.


The verification procedures and accompanying documents required in receiving civil services have been reduced greatly by a variety of CRVS information-shar-ing methods . The number of types of information shared increased from 71 in 2008 to 147 in 2014, while work types increased from 2,142 to 2,494 . The range of public organizations that are allowed access to the AISS has also expanded from originally only including cen-tral institutions to subsequently include local govern-ment agencies, financial institutions, and educational institutions (Figure 3 .11) .12

The number of views of information shared jumped from 27 million in 2008 to 213 million in 2015 (Figure 3 .12) . RR record cards, used for resi-dent identity verification, constitute the most viewed

information . FRR verification, eligibility for NHI, and receipts for NHI premium payments ranked within the 10 most viewed information types, proving the high demand for the CRVS information .

Continued efforts to expand inter-agency infor-mation sharing have improved customer convenience as well as inter-departmental cooperation . At the same time, maintaining information security, personal information protection, and appropriate restriction of state authority on information accumulation are some other important mandates that the government should observe .

Figure 3 .9 Basic Models of Information Sharing

User Owner User Owner User Owner User Owner User Owner

Sharing Sharing Sharing SharingSharing

Transfer Distribute Collect Collect & Distribute Customise

Source: Hwang, 2015.

Figure 3 .10 Basic Structures of Information Sharing

MOI(National RR System)

PISC(Administrative Information sharing System)

NHI(Health insurance)

One-day status change of RR data(birth, death, marriage, divorce,

migration, changed names)Transmission of encrypted data

Residents, Health insurance recipients

• Confirmation of policy holders• Delivery of notice, bill• Applications for health services

12 The change in numbers of central government agencies and local governments is the result of reorganization of adminis-trative organizations and integration of local governments .


Government Information and Communication NetworksAfter the establishment of public administration net-works for the national key databases, including RR and real estate in National Basic Information system projects (1987–1995), the government began to con-struct a backbone network with high volume (K-Net)

for exclusive use by central and local government agencies (Figure 3 .13) . K-Net is the government-only communication network separated from commercial

Figure 3 .12 Annual Records Viewing of Shared Information (unit: millions)

70

2008 2009 2010 2011

Certified and copies of RR record cardsCertification of land registration & land registerCertification of building registration

2012 2013 2014

60

50

40

30

20

10

–

FRR informationOthers

Total


Figure 3 .11 Data-Using Institutions through AISS (unit: data-using institutions and their ratio)

Financialinstitution

(18; 3)

Publicinstitution(121; 20)

Educationalinstitution(186; 30)

Centraladministration(50; 30)

Localgovernment(243; 39)


Figure 3 .13 Concept Map of Government Information & Communication Networks

InternetNetwork

Internet Network

Internet Network

Physical separation

localgovernments

Centralgovernment

localgovernments

Centralgovernment

Physical separation

InternetNetwork

InternetNetwork

Business Network

1nd NCIS Center

Backbonenode

Corenode

Accessnode

Internet Network

Internet Network

Physical separation

localgovernments

Centralgovernment

localgovernments

Centralgovernment

Physical separation

2st NCIS Center

InternetNetwork

InternetNetwork

BusinessNetwork

BusinessNetwork

BusinessNetwork

InternetNetwork

BusinessNetwork

BusinessNetwork

BusinessNetwork

Business Network

Source: National Computing and Information Service (http://korea.ncis.go.kr/eng/key/key_04.jsp), 2016.


networks . Cybersecurity of the network is guaranteed by separating it into two networks, building dual and binary communications equipment and transmis-sion channels, and establishing a 24/7 monitoring system . For example, information on RINs is stored and transmitted in an encrypted form in all sections between two networks supported by two firewalls . In addition, it has adopted new technologies such as Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) .

K-Net consists of the three layers of backbone, core, and access nodes, and offers a safe, secure, and scalable communications service to central and local government agencies and public institutions, It ensures quality service to citizens by applying service level agree-ments with vendors regarding communications quality . However, in view of the physical separation of K-Net and the Internet, every official has to have two personal computers on his or her desk, one for the exclusive in-ternal network and the other for Internet usage, which causes some inconvenience .

STATUTES AND REGULATIONS


The CRVS statutes of Korea consist of four levels: the constitution and acts (National Assembly); enforcement decrees (presidential decrees); enforcement rules or regulations (ministerial decrees); and municipal ordinances and rules (local governments) . This chapter primarily addresses crucial act-level stipulations that describe the structure, functions, and work processes of organizations in relation to the development, operation, and maintenance of CRVS and CMIS systems .13

Acts related to CRVS and CMIS largely consist of three areas . First, acts related to the institutionalization of CRVS that were enacted in the 1960s and subsequently amended several times stipulate institutions, processes, and processes of CRVS as a key tool for building national fundamentals of social and econom-ic development . They are the Family Relationship Registration Act, the Resident Registration Act, and the Statistics Act . Second, several acts were enacted after the 1980s to promote CMIS development and utilization as a critical part of national informatization and electronic government . They are the Framework Act on Na-tional Informatization, the Electronic Government Act, the Software Industry Pro-motion Act, and the Official Information Disclosure Act . In addition, in order to exploit emerging technologies for government innovation, the Korean government in 2014 put into force the Act on Promotion of the Provision, and in 2015, the Use of Public Data and Act on the Development of Cloud Computing and Protection of its Users . Third, the Korean government enacted two basic acts related to privacy protection and cybersecurity . This third area of legislation helped lead to increased social awareness and concerns . They are the Personal Information Protection Act

4

13 Refer to the icon ‘Law Search’ of the Korea Legislation Research Institute’s website for retriev-ing acts introduced in this report . http://www .klri .re .kr/eng/category/main .do


and the Act on Promotion of Information and Com-munications Network Utilization and information Protection .

CRVS related Acts

The acts pertaining to CRVS include the Act on the Registration of Family Relationship, the Resident Reg-istration Act, and the Statistics Act .

Act on the Registration of Family RelationshipThe Act on the Registration of Family Relationship, made up of 124 articles, defines and regulates the reg-istration and verification work processes pertaining to changes in family relations such as birth, marriage, death, and other events . The Act stipulates preparation of family relations registers and processing of registra-tion, records of registers, reports of birth, recognition, adoption, dissolution of adoptive relations, marriage, divorce, parental authority and guardianship, death and disappearance, and acquisition and loss of nationality . Furthermore, it describes in detail the change of name and surname, the origin of surname, the establishment and rectification of the family relation register, and other subjects . The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court delegates the actual tasks of the FRR to city mayors or heads of community service centers . The heads of these local governments handle the FRR tasks according to the computing and information processes of the Judi-cial Archives Center . However, when an administrative agency in the executive branch needs to work with FRR data, the agency must discuss its needs with the head of the National Court Administration .

Resident Registration ActThe Resident Registration Act, enacted in 1962, fur-thers the livelihoods of residents, and makes the pro-cessing of their administrative affairs more convenient by clearly ascertaining the residential status of residents

and the movement of the population through the reg-istration of residents residing in each city, county, or district . The RR Act stipulates the preparation, issu-ance, and correction of RR Registration Cards, change of RIN, issuance and reissuance of the RR Certificate Card, and establishment of an electronic information center for RR . It also permits any person to inspect a RR Record card and to obtain a certified copy or abstract of such record card through electronic infor-mation data . The heads of city, county, or district offices are responsible for carrying out delegated RR tasks, including recording movement of population, improv-ing the convenience of public services, and appropri-ately processing administrative work . The head of the household must report changes in RR information as they occur, including corrections to RR, such as expiry or non-resident registration, within 14 days of the occurrence .

Statistics ActThe Statistics Act stipulates that the Korean Commis-sioner of Statistics must designate VS as a designated statistics repository (Articles 17, 20) . If needed, the ministry can request cooperation from heads of organi-zations that contribute to the compilation of necessary VS statistics . Similarly, the heads of the central govern-ment agencies and local governments can request VS reports they need from their subordinate organizations or heads of local government under the jurisdiction of the Enforcement Decree of Statistics Act, Article 30 . The Regulation for Population Change Survey (425th Decree of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance (MOSF), 2015) defines the items of the PCS specifically cited as designated statistics by the Statistics Act (Article 17) . This act aims to address factors behind population sizes and structural changes . Primary items include subject of investigation (Article 2), categories of investigation (Article 3), survey items (Article 4), deadline for data submission (Article 6), and other relevant data .

It is important to note that the acts related to CRVS usually include several articles to facilitate the

Statutes and Regulations 43

shared use of CRVS data among administrative agen-cies for their accurate and consistent management . For example, the heads of city, county, or district offices have responsibilities to coordinate FRR with RR in-formation stored in their respective databases (RR Act, Article 15) . The Korean Commissioner of Statistics can request that the Minister of the National Court Ad-ministration provide digital data on the registration of family relations and that the Minister of Public Safety and Security and the Commissioner of the National Police Agency provide information on criminal justice related to statistics on the causes of death (Statistics Act, Article 24-2) .

CMIS related Acts

Acts pertaining to CMIS include the Frameworks Act and the Electronic Government Act .

Framework ActThe Framework Act on National Informatization stipu-lates the formulation of basic and implementation plans for national informatization, establishment of NIA, promotion of public and community informatization, support for informatization of the private sector, and standardization of networks . In addition, through the revision of the Act in 2013, the government included proactive measures for tackling social issues, such as preventing and alleviating Internet addiction, narrow-ing the digital divide, and guaranteeing web access by persons with disabilities and elderly persons .

Electronic Government ActThe Electronic Government Act provides that its basic goals are to digitize public services, to improve citizen convenience, to innovate administrative affairs, and to improve their productivity and efficiency . These goals are designed to ensure the security and reliability of information systems, to protect personal information

and privacy, to expand disclosure and sharing of administrative information, to prevent duplicative investment, and to improve interoperability (E-Gov-ernment Act, Article 4) . It stipulates the electronic processing of civil petitions, electronic public service delivery (front office), electronic administrative man-agement (back office), shared use of administrative information, information technology architecture, and efficient management of information resources, as well as the stability of information systems . The act pursues the maximization of the benefits of an e-gov-ernment project in terms of business process reengi-neering . Each administrative agency has to redesign its pre-existing organization, including placement of workers, work processes and other tasks, in a manner compatible with the implementation of the informa-tion and communications technologies (E-Govern-ment Act, Article 48) . In particular, the act allows and promotes shared use of administrative information, as listed in Table 4 .1, through the AISS . Administrative information related to national security of the nation, classified as confidential under any Act or subordinate statute, can be excluded from information subject to such sharing .

As a legal measure to facilitate information shar-ing, the E-Government Act includes articles to enforce the right to view and the obligation to gather consent from the owner of the information to safeguard person-al privacy in cases of administrative use or sharing of information (Table 4 .2) . Owners now have the right to

Table 4 .1 Administrative Information Subject to Sharing (E-Government Act, Article 38)

1. Administrative information necessary to process civil petitions, and so forth

2. Administrative information that can be used as reference to carry out administrative affairs, such as statistical, bibliographic, or policy information

3. Administrative information deemed essential by an administrative agency to carry out its official duties prescribed by any Act or subordinate statute

Source: Korea Legislation Research Institute (http://www.klri.re.kr/), 2014

http://www.klri.re.kr/


view the activities of information sharing after execut-ing such activities . A government that wants to move fragmented government ministries and agencies with a “silo mentality” into using more shared and linked systems has to enact these kinds of legal measures to overcome obstacles to information sharing .

Acts related to Privacy Protection and Cybersecurity

Due to massive leaks and abuses of RINs and other personal data in the past, the Korean government has

frequently coped with opposition of NGOs in intro-ducing electronic NID certificate cards and in expand-ing information sharing among administrative agencies and public institutions . For this reason, the Personal Information Protection Act replicates eight strict data protection principles established by the Organization for Economic Cooperation for Development (Table 4 .3) .14 The government also must take legal, insti-tutional, managerial, and technological measures to address concerns of the civil society regarding leaks, breaches, and abuses of personal information .

There are two acts that address privacy issues: the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), which is enforced in the public sector, and the Act on Promo-tion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (ICNUIPA), which is enforced in the private sector .

Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA)The PIPA prohibits all acquisition of the RIN by pri-vate companies, except financial companies that need to collect the RIN as part of the Act on Real Name

Table 4 .2 Rights and Obligations of Information Owners (E-Government Act Article 42, 43)

Right Nature of Rights

Prior consent of owners of information

Purpose of sharing the information, the administrative information subject to sharing and the scope of sharing, the name of the agency using the shared information

Owners of information to request access

Agency that used the information, the purpose of sharing the information, the types of information shared, the time of sharing, legal grounds for sharing the administrative information

14 Refer to OECD Guidelines Governing the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data retrieved from https://www .oecd .org/sti/ieconomy/2013-oecd-priva-cy-guidelines .pdf .

Table 4 .3 OECD Guidelines and Personal Information Protection Act

OECD Guidelines Personal Information Protection Act (Article 3)

Collection limitation Collects lawfully and legitimately, and limit the collection to the minimum extent to achieve clear purpose

Data quality Guarantees that the information is kept accurate, complete and up-to-date to the extent necessary for the purpose

Purpose specification Makes clear the purpose of managing personal information

Use limitation Manages within the appropriate and extent necessary, and not use it for other intentions

Security safeguards Manages safely in consideration of the risk that the rights of a subject of information may be infringed

Openness Discloses to the general public matters concerning the management of information

Individual participation Guarantees the rights of a subject of information such as to request an inspection, and so forth

Accountability Endeavors to gain the trust of a subject of information by fulfilling his/her responsibilities and obligations conferred/imposed by or under this act

Source: Kwon, 2015.

Statutes and Regulations 45

Financial Transactions and Confidentiality, to pre-vent abuse and leak of RR information such as the RIN . The ICNUIPA also restricts the use of the RIN (Clause 2 of Article 22) . Service providers of informa-tion communications cannot collect or use the RIN of their subscribers, except when (i) designated as the institution to verify the identity of a person by the Korea Communications Commission; or (ii) allowed by the authority and legal statutes to collect and use subscribers’ RIN . Moreover, they must provide an alternate means of identity verification without using the RIN .

Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (ICNUIPA)The Act on Promotion of Information and Commu-nications Network Utilization and Information Pro-tection (ICNUIPA) was enacted in 2001 to address the issue of Personal privacy protection in the private sector . ICNUIPA restricts the use of RIN (Clause 2 of Article 22) . Service providers of information com-munications cannot collect or use the RIN of their subscribers, except when (i) designated as the insti-tution to verify the identity of a person by the Korea Communications Commission; or (ii) allowed by the authorities or by legal statutes to collect and use a subscriber’s RIN . Moreover, they must provide an alternate means of identity verification without using the RIN .

Act on the Development of Cloud Computing and Protection of its UsersThe Act on the Development of Cloud Computing and Protection of its Users (CCPU Act) was enacted in 2015 to contribute to the improvement of citizens’ lives and the development of the national economy by developing and promoting the usage of cloud comput-ing and by creating an environment for the safe use of cloud computing services . The Act includes several Articles to protect user information from outside intru-sions and from leakages or abuses by cloud comput-ing service providers stipulated in the PIP Act and the ICNUIP Act . For example, no cloud computing service provider is required to provide any user information to a third party to be used for any purpose other than for the purpose of providing services without the relevant user’s consent, unless it is required by the court order to submit or a warrant issued by a judge (Article 27) .

In contrast to Acts related to personal informa-tion protection and cybersecurity, the Official Infor-mation Disclosure Act and Act on the Promotion of the Provision and Use of Public Data address disclosure and provision of all administrative information and public data with designation of classified information and data as exceptions . Specifically, the negative system that permits disclosure of a list of all non-disclosed and classified information as administrative information, applies to the list of information disclosure (Article 9) . Information that can lead to an invasion of privacy or freedom of speech when disclosed, such as name and RIN, is classified as non-disclosable .

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS

Strong Political Will and Leadership

In a presidential system where the president, as the head of government, leads an executive branch in policy formulation as well as policy implementation and service delivery, strong political will and continued engagement of the president are the most important factors for the success of a CRVS agenda . In Korea, the enactment of the RR Act and the development projects of the RR database, online service (G4C and Minwon24), AISS, and NCIS, have all been undertaken as part of pres-idential agendas since the 1960s .

Presidents of Korea have mobilized organizational, human, and financial resources throughout the entire government in order to attain administrative goals related to CRVS . They have institutionalized various advisory committees under their jurisdiction to facilitate their agenda by exploiting skilled expertise in the private sector . For example, in 1987 the Chief of Staff to the President became the Chairman of the Computer Network Steering Committee for the RR database de-velopment project, one of six Administrative Networks projects . Presidential com-mittees have become a common organizational design for e-government projects since the 2000s (Table 5 .1) . Since 2014, the Government 3 .0 Committee, which is in charge of developing personalized services to citizens as part of the presidential agenda, has been undertaking the task of innovating CMIS depending on easy accessible applications loaded onto mobile phones . One important rule worthy of note for organizing these high-level committees is that more than half of the com-mittee members conventionally consisted of private sector actors, such as university professors, researchers, and business consultants, in order to utilize their profession-alism and technical expertise .

5


Inter-Ministerial Collaboration and Resource Sharing

While the CRVS system requires a high degree of information sharing and collaboration between gov-ernment agencies, in several countries, it represents a typical area of fragmented smokestack processes . A fragmented CRVS system makes life inconvenient for people and creates inconsistencies and inadequacies in public administration . Several factors in political, orga-nizational, economic, and technical dimensions restrict information sharing and collaboration among govern-ment agencies (Table 5 .2) .

The supra-ministerial governance initiated by the political leadership can facilitate to a considerable degree the tackling of these factors, most of which work at the ministerial level (Song and Oh, 2012) . When the

Presidential E-Government Committee began to initi-ate the AISS, several government agencies raised con-cerns about the possibility of abuse and leaks of per-sonal information and the accountability that follows such incidents . The committee developed appropriate legal, organizational, financial, and technical measures to address these concerns with the supporting partici-pation of three ministries, the MOSF, the MOI, and the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) . Since the 1990s, collaboration between these three ministries, each of which has their own strengths and weaknesses in policy capacity and resource mobi-lization, has worked as a key factor in the success of CRVS and CMIS as well as of e-government as a whole . (See Figure 5 .1) . Political leadership also plays an im-portant role in promoting long-lasting collaboration between ministries .

Table 5 .1 Advisory Committees Related to CMIS Agendas

Category Upper Governance (Chairman)

National Basic Information Systems Computer Network Steering Committee (Chief Presidential Secretary) (1987–1991)

High-Speed Network Informatization Promotion Committee (Prime Minister) (1995–2008)

E-Government Presidential E-Government Special Committee (Cabinet minister level civilian) (2001–2007)

Informatization Strategy Committee (Prime Minister) (2009–2012)

Government 3.0 Government 3.0 Committee (Cabinet minister level civilian) (2014–)

Table 5 .2 Barriers to Information Sharing

Category Obstacles

Political • Absence of strategy and vision from leader• Poor information security; infringement and abuse of personal data• Ambiguity of law and system (uncertain responsibility of task distribution)

Organizational • Lack of awareness of convenience and other benefits• Lack of credibility or trust between departments • Insufficient system of professional workers and task distribution

Economic • Lack of budget promoting and sharing

Technological • Lack of compatibility between components of information systems• Lack of standards in data-sharing procedures

Source: Song and Oh, 2012.

Critical Success Factors 49

Consistent and Timely Strategic Planning

Strategic planning with clear goals and priorities is cru-cial to the successful implementation of a CRVS infor-mation system . Until the 1980s, the computing capacity of the Korean government was far behind that of many advanced countries like the United States or the United Kingdom .15 In order to catch up with these countries within a short period, the Korean government initiated several master plans which were implemented through-out four strategically planned stages since the 1970s (Table 5 .3)16 (Song and Cho, 2007; Song, 2010) . The first stage (1978–1986) focused on the computeriza-tion of internal work, such as human resources, payroll, pensions, and immigration, on a batch-processing basis . The second stage (1987–2005) can be sub-divided into two phases . In the first phase (1987–1996), a wide-area service of CRVS was begun through a public infor-mation-sharing network . During this period, national basic information systems concerning civil services, real estate, education, and research was completed, and

thus automatization within government offices as well as remote operations became possible . Then, during the second phase, (1995–2005) the High-Speed Broad-band project, which was begun in 1995 and was com-pleted in 2014, equipped the whole country with high-speed Internet .

The third stage (2001–2007) included two ma-jor e-government developments . The first e-Government agenda involved portal development of the Government for Citizens project (G4C) that was linked to five core national DBs on residential information, real estate, automobiles, and so forth . This effectively reduced the number of required physical visits to government offices

Figure 5 .1 Standard E-Government Governance of Korea (2001~2007)

Presidential Office (Chief of Staff)(Senior Secretary for Policy & Planning)

Presidential E-Government Special Committee(Vice Minister level)

G4C TF(Assistant Ministerfor Planning, MOI)

E-Government &Local government

(MOI)

Public institutions(KISDI, KISA, etc.)

NationalComputerization Agency

Finance andPerformance

monitoring (MOSF)

Technical Support &ICT Fund(MSIP)

NAFIS (D-Brain)TF (MOSF)

NEIS TF(MOE)

SI company SI company SI company

TFs

Ministries

SI company

Ministries

TFs

Key players ofE-Government

SI company

Source: National Computing and Information Service (http://korea.ncis.go.kr/eng/key/key_04.jsp), 2016.

15 In 1986, the level of South Korea’s informatization index (100) in areas such as information equipment, information utilization and informatization investment was just one-eighth of the USA (730) and one-fourth or one-fifth of Japan (460), Germany (430), United Kingdom (490) and France (493) . Refer to NIA (1990) .

16 Refer to the above Table 7 and Figure 9 .


and eliminated a lot of documentation related to public services that was previously required . The second e-Gov-ernment agenda implemented 31 projects, ranging from digitization of all document processing, and informa-tization of national and local government finances, to sharing of administrative information . The AISS project involved online verification by means of shared informa-tion provided through the administrative DBs of mul-tiple administration agencies compared to paper docu-ments submitted in person or by mail . The fourth stage, which is still in progress (2008-present), involves upgrad-ing Korea’s e-government information system . This phase aims to facilitate information sharing through integrated and connected information systems and through stable operations of the NCIS . Efforts are also being made to provide customized CRVS services using technologies such as mobile, Internet of Things, and cloud computing .

In every stage of the strategic plans, the govern-ment set up government-wide master plans that match social needs with technological advances in timely and proper ways . They have aimed at enhancing the efficien-cy of government administration and providing quality services to citizens on the one hand, and advancing in-dustrial promotion and technological development on

the other . Strategic plans for CMIS have been key tools for attaining those goals .

Human Capacity with Skilled Expertise

Korea has managed to implement an effective CRVS system despite having a relatively small number of civil servants . Korea has a very small government, with a ratio of civil servants to the economically active pop-ulation of 10 percent, half that of other OECD coun-tries (OECD, 2015) (Figure 5 .2) . The total number of civil servants is approximately 1 million in 2015, most of whom belong to the executive branch consisting of state civil servants (education: 347 thousand persons, 34 .4 percent; security: 149 thousand persons, 14 .7 per-cent; general administration: 95 thousand persons, 9 .4 percent) and local civil servants (363 thousand per-sons, 29 .3 percent) . (See Figure 5 .3) . Due to e-govern-ment services like Minwon24, the number of persons allocated to front-office registration work for family relationship and residency remains relatively few .

In the central government, civil servants working for technical services, such as computing (2,883 persons,

Table 5 .3 History of CRVS and CMIS Related Master Plans

Stage CRVS Projects CRVS Project Details

First Stage(Foundation Building)

Administrative computerization (1978–1986)

• Computerization of administrative tasks such as human resources, wages, and pensions for each department

• Issuance of abstracts of manual RR by visiting community offices

Second Stage (Database Development)

National Basic Information System

(1987–1996)

• First phase (1987–1991): administrative DBs built for RR, economic statistics, etc.; RR computerization (70 mil citizens) with abolition of paper work

• Second phase (1992–1996): EDI customs, post office, welfare for a total of seven priority agendas of pursuit

High-speed network (1995-2005)

• Nation-wide high-speed networks in major areas• High speed internet access for all schools nationwide; management of grades and life records

linked to RR

Third Stage (Online Service)

e-Government (2001–2007)

• First phase (2001–2002): G4C (online issuance of RR)• Second phase (2003–2007): AISS, NCIS; FRR database development and web-based VS

service linked to FRR

Fourth Stage (Service Enhancement)

Smart e-government (2008-present)

• E-government enhancement and maintenance (2008–2012)• Customized service (2013-present): hospital-based birth/death reports; big data analysis for

population census; CRVS cloud computing


3 .0 percent) and communications (474 persons, 0 .5 percent) account for a relatively small portion of the civil servants working for the general service (94,595 persons, 100 percent) (Ministry of Personnel Management, 2015) . In addition, these technical ser-vice groups are mostly placed in mid-to-low-level posi-tions with little influence on the policy-making process . When promoted, civil servants for technical services usually move to general administrative positions with

higher decision-making responsibilities . These small numbers in lower-positioned technical-service groups are insufficient even for system maintenance and up-grade . Furthermore, there is little recruitment of local civil servants to join technical service groups .

The Korean government uses a system of per-sonnel recruitment based on merit-based general exam-inations and periodical rotation from one job to anoth-er within a specific ministry . The system often reveals

Figure 5 .2 Public Sector Employment as a Percentage of the Labor

40NO

RDN

KSW

ELU

XHU

NES

TSV

K

GBR

POL

SVN

BEL

OECD CA

NFR

AGR

CIR

LCH

EIT

AAU

SPR

TES

PTU

RNZ

LM

EX CHL

JPN

KOR

LVA

DEU

CZE

UKR

ZAF

BRA

COL

30

35

25

20%

15

10

5

0

2003 2009

Source: OECD, 2015.

Figure 5 .3 Components of Total Civil Servants by Government Level

State (education)34.37%

State (general administraton),9.36% Local education

administraton, 6.74%

State (postal),3.11%

State (postal),3.11%

Constitutionalcourt, 0.03%

Assembly,0.40%

Election commission,0.28%

State (security),14.73%Local, 29.23%

Source: The Ministry of Interior, 2015.


serious weaknesses in the accumulation of knowledge and experience in specialized policy areas and in the facilitation of widespread collaboration between minis-tries (Song and Oh, 2012) . The participation of outside specialists with a neutral stance independent of interests of specific agencies has contributed to filling that kind of technical and collaborative vacuum in national agen-das like e-government . In addition, the lack of technical capacity among civil servants is largely supplemented with skilled expertise from various public institutions such as NIA and KISA . Utilization of entrusted man-agement from public institutions and private compa-nies has been a firm practice for e-government in Korea (E-Government Act, Article 64-2) . Outsourcing is a trusted management strategy used by private compa-nies, widely exploited in the field of information system development as well as in operation and maintenance .

In summary, the Korean government, with a shortage of civil servants specializing in information technology and other technical fields, relies on various public insti-tutions and on private companies .

Flexible Financial Investment

Budgeting for CMIS and E-Government ProjectsIn most countries, government projects are constrained by a rigid annual budget system controlled by the bud-get review of the National Assembly and auditing of the audit authority . Since investing in a CRVS infor-mation system requires significant changes and inno-vation in current structures and working processes, tra-ditional budget approaches, that include annual cost, project-based results, financial cost-to-benefit ratio, and steady workflows, cannot suffice . CRVS systems instead can benefit from innovative budget structures involving multi-year investments, government-wide results, financial and non-financial benefit-cost ratios, innovative workflow adjustments, and more (Table 5 .4) . This kind of budgeting system requires strong, steadfast political resolve .

The budget allocation system for digitization and e-government in Korea underwent several chang-es, as shown in Table 5 .4 . Most of all, the “invest first, settle later” method was used initially for the RR da-tabase development (1987–1991) project, whereby the implementation plan was established and financed by

Table 5 .4 Traditional Budgeting and Multi-Year Financial Investment

CategoryTraditional Budget Formulation

High-value Investment

Duration Annual expense Multi-year investment

Unit of appraisal

Result of outcome by programs

Government-wide result

Benefit/cost Financial cost/benefit Non-financial and financial cost/benefit

Focus Restraints within current task flows

Innovative change of task flow

Source: OECD, 2004

Table 5 .5 History of Resource Procurement Methods

Category Budgeting Method Contents

National Basic Information System (1987–1991)

“Invest first, settle later” • Execution of project through financing of bank funds• Adjustments at the end of the project

E-Government (2001–2004)

Informatization Promotion Fund • Fund from compensation for spectrum allocation • Information investment by (former) MIC

E-Government (2005-present)

General government budget • E-government support budget: execution by MOI within boundaries, as allocated by MOSF

Source: Song and Cho, 2007.


the financial sector, which the government later reim-bursed . This type of strategy represents an exceptional case of flexible appropriation of financial resources .

Subsequently, the Informatization Promotion Fund was created in 1996 from the proceeds of tele-communications spectrum allocations stock sales and dividends of public institutions (that is, Korea Tele-com), and was used to finance e-government projects . The combination of the “invest first, settle later” ap-proach and the IPF represented flexible multi-year budgeting methods that enabled a swift response to rapid technological advances, and bypassed budget restraints imposed by budget authorities, audit au-thorities, and parliament . This strategy contributed to fast and strong implementation of informatization projects .

After 2005, the government relocated the In-formatization Promotion Fund into the Information Technology Promotion Fund in order to finance ICT research and development initiatives and projects . Meanwhile, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance now appropriates the budget for e-government projects from the general budget account of the Korean gov-ernment . MOSF allocates the budget for e-government projects in a lump sum to the MOI, and allows the MOI discretionary authority to deliberate and allocate this budget based on government-wide integration and connectivity for individual e-government projects . This kind of flexible financing strategy could be appropriate for developing countries facing difficulties in securing financial resources for e-government projects . If a flex-ible financing model, such as the Informatization Pro-motion Fund above, is not available, various public-pri-vate partnership models that obtain financing from the private sector may be considered .

Benefit-Cost AnalysisBenefit-cost analysis (BCA) assesses the economic valid-ity of a public project by comparing investment costs and expected benefits . Its appropriateness as a basis for decision-making depends on whether efficiency

is the only value and on the extent to which import-ant impacts can be monetized (Weimer and Vining, 2005) . Monetization of important impacts on society should include long-term, intangible benefits and costs as well as short-term, tangible benefits and costs . BCA is usually weak in calculating public values other than efficiency, such as distributional equity . In an e-gov-ernment project, typical tangible costs include system development and maintenance costs and labor train-ing costs . Short-term benefits include a reduction of the cost of civil petitions and documentations, lower transportation costs, and reduced time and cost of civil servant issuance tasks . Less tangible benefits include savings from internal process innovation, employee capacity growth, customer satisfaction, and long-term financial achievements . When efficiency is the only rel-evant goal, government has to choose the best feasible alternative that maximizes net benefits .

The Korean government operates a preliminary feasibility survey as a BCA tool . The Ministry of Strate-gy and Finance has to conduct a preliminary feasibility survey in advance for every large-scale informatization and e-government project where the total project cost is 50 billion Korean won (KRW) or more, with at least 30 billion KRW of it being subsidized by the State (Na-tional Finance Act, Article 38) . Benefit-cost estimation is the basic component of this feasibility survey .

CRVS is a key part of the national agenda that lays the foundation for nation building and economic devel-opment, and thus cannot be justified from the simple efficiency perspective of a BCA . Nevertheless, to secure a high priority status in competing government policies, information system development of the CRVS should first of all be economically valid . Economic validity en-ables the government to anticipate political feasibility . For this reason, the government undertook BCA for all eleven e-government projects before launching them in 2001 . For example, budgets invested in the G4C proj-ect, the predecessor to Minwon24, amounted to about 3 .3 billion KRW . Estimated direct and indirect benefits, including the sum of the effect of reduction in paper documentation and lower transportation and time costs


for customers,17 amounted to 1,113 .6 billion KRW . The estimated benefits significantly outweighed the invest-ment costs (E-Government Task Force, 2002) . Another BCA case is the National Education Information System project (NEIS) that was begun during the same period as the G4C . NEIS got its economic justification from the results of BCA with an estimated benefit that was three to seven times greater than the investment cost (Bene-fit-cost ratio=3 .0–7 .0) (Song and Lee, 2007) .

Public-Private Partnership

OverviewGovernments can choose to deliver public goods directly through public employees and state owned enterprises (the make decision), or indirectly by means of private companies and non-profit organizations (the buy deci-sion) (Skelcher, 2005) . The public private partnership (PPP), a form of the buy decision, is a kind of collab-orative governance between public and private sector actors who pursue well-defined public goods through the appropriate sharing of resources, costs, risks, and rewards . It aims to reduce costs, enhance administra-tive efficiency, focus on core competency within the organization through outsourcing peripheral functions,

and exploit the technical expertise and flexibility of the private sector . The Korean government has another important policy goal of promoting software industry through e-government outsourcing (Software Industry Promotion Act, Article 1) . Potential partnerships cover areas such as financial investment, telecommunications infrastructure buildup, front-office services, e-govern-ment software development, and capacity building of civil servants and citizens .

Outsourcing is a type of PPP, but is different from PPP in various aspects (Table 5 .6) . While PPP focuses on governance management, where public and private partners are engaged in joint decision-making and production through shared responsibility and risks, outsourcing focuses more on contract management, where the government (principal) specifies the problem, solution, and product, and where the company (agent), selected through a competitive tendering procedure, provides the product based on detailed contract terms .

17 This was calculated from two-way transportation costs x number of issuances x ratio of administrative institute sub-mission) and the conversion cost of time spent by petitioners (average transportation time + average civil petition pro-cessing time x number of issuance x average wage x ratio of administrative institute submission) .

Table 5 .6 Comparison between Partnership and Outsourcing

Category Partnership Outsourcing

Basic principle • Government and company engage in joint processes of developing common goals, efforts, products, and sharing responsibility and risks effectively

• Process management rules of partners to create interaction, commitments, and division of benefits

• Maximizes both interests; transaction costs mainly incurred in organizing and managing process and exchange of information

• Government defines problems/goals/ solutions/products, division of responsibility, and selects company that is able to produce efficiently

• Project management principles of government to set clear goals, well-defined final product specifications, rules of tendering, selection, delivery, and inspection

• Maximizes parties’ own profit; transaction costs mainly incurred in monitoring agent and tendering procedure

Strength and weakness

• Transfers and imports external capital, technology, and professional knowledge to internal civil servants

• Potential mismatch of culture and expectation between partners, and difficulty of change of priority due to contract terms and conditions

• Utilizes external technological and human resources, and pursues small government through concentration on core competency

• Weak control over project priorities and methods due to lack of skilled expertise, communication gap between parties, and rigid contract terms resulting in eventual efficiency reduction

Source: UN, 2008; Klijn and Teisman, 2007.


Among a variety of partnership models, the first model includes BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) and BOOT (Build-Own-Operate-Transfer) (UNESCO, 2005; World Bank IDP, 2009) . In the BOT, the pri-vate partner builds a facility or system to the standards and specifications agreed to by the government, oper-ates it for a specified time-period under a contract, and then transfers the ownership to the government . In the BOOT, the private partner owns the project, invests re-sources, undertakes its development, operates it for the specified duration, and then transfers the ownership to the government . There are some variants like DBOOT (Design-Build-Own-Operate-Transfer), and DBFOT (Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer) . The govern-ment mostly pays the private partner on a unit basis in this first type .

In a second model, the government can contract with a private partner to provide a specified service or to operate, maintain, and upgrade a facility or system providing a service (service contracts) . This service is usually a peripheral service, not a core one . While the ownership of the facility or system belongs to the government, the private partner gains revenues or fees from the government in return for providing a service .

In a third model, the government can choose a lease option . The private partner invests resources, and operates, repairs, and maintains a facility, equipment, or service to specified standards and outputs agreed to by the government, and then receives all the revenues, fees or charges from service users . Ownership belongs to the private partner .

Finally, outsourcing covers a wide range of activ-ities from routinized and well-defined types of service to more complex ones that require highly skilled exper-tise . Outsourcing is often used for tasks such as run-ning a Q&A help desk, managing customer relation-ships on a daily basis, designing and managing portal websites, and conducting training programs for capac-ity building . Complex tasks needing technical capacity such as information strategy planning and sophisticat-ed software development are also important objects of outsourcing .

Outsourcing PolicyAmong the four PPP models discussed above, the Korean government has relied heavily on outsourcing in e-government projects since 1980s . The Act on Admin-istrative Digitalization and E-Government (Article 14) in 2002 stipulated a compulsory outsourcing princi-ple by stipulating that “agencies have to outsource the development and operation of e-government projects” (outsourcing by default policy) . The Electronic Govern-ment Act, fully revised in 2008, stipulates that govern-ment agencies make it a rule to entrust all or parts of the business concerning the management and supervision of the following three projects to a person equipped with expertise and technical capacity (Article 64-2) .

1 . Projects that significantly affect the efficiency in public services

2 . Projects that require special management due to a high level of difficulty

3 . Other cases necessary to entrust the management of e-government projects due to a lack of experi-ence and expertise in their organizations

Outsourcing is the final step of entrustment of e-government projects from a public institution to a company . The Government can choose entrustment of all of the business of a project by handing over the entire project from concept definition to development, deployment, maintenance, and upgrade (total out-sourcing, using a turnkey-base contract) . Alternatively, it can choose entrustment of only parts of the business by selecting or commissioning some part of the project (selective outsourcing, using a separate or split-order-ing contract) .The Korean government has entrustment chains of e-government project outsourcing, consist-ing of central government ministries (MOSF, MOI, MOHW, and so forth) at the top level, the NIA, NHI, HIRA, Public Procurement Service (PPS), and so forth at the middle level, and vendors in the private sector at the bottom level (Figure 5 .4) . This well-institution-alized entrustment system enables government at all levels to employ outsourcing in e-government projects .


The Public Procurement Service (PPS) (http://www .pps .go .kr) outsources e-government projects, en-trusted by central government ministries and agencies, to private companies through the competitive procurement process . PPS operates the Korea Online E-Procurement System (KONEPS) (http://www .g2b .go .kr) that is a single window service for public procurement for all public insti-tutions . It handles the entire online procurement process-es starting from the invitation for bids, through bidding and contracting, and continuing to contractor payment . It also provides integrated bid information for businesses .

Project ManagementProject management refers to the systematic manage-ment of the core components of a project life cycle, from concept definition, to strategic planning, business process reengineering, development, and operation and maintenance of information systems . In Korea, non-governmental public institutions, supervising corpora-tions, and software business operators who have been entrusted by the central government ministries are all qualified to serve as an e-government project manager .

The project managers must demonstrate that they have the professional skills capable of managing e-govern-ment projects, a plan for conducting the business, a record of past management of e-government projects, and then must meet detailed criteria for the selection, including the calculation of fees for the outsourcing . NIA, Social Security Information Service (SSIS), Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS), and so forth, have the primary responsibility for this e-government project management .

The MOI and NIA operate sophisticated manu-als that describe procedures and methodologies to man-age e-government projects according to their life cycles (Figure 5 .5) . The first stage starts with project iden-tification that focuses on the analysis of the political atmosphere, supply-market capacity, and social needs . Second, in the project development and assessment stage, government and/or its entrusted institutions car-ry out a feasibility study for framing the detailed proj-ect plan, estimating budget allocation, and identifying potential risk factors . Third, the contract management stage includes developing critical components such as definition of rules and responsibilities, service level

Figure 5 .4 Entrustment Chains of CMIS Projects in Korea

MOSF

Entrustment

MOHW

NHI, HIRA

MOI

Entrustment

NIA

Outsourcing

Public ProcurementService

Vendors

Stat Korea

Supreme Court

Central Computing Center

http://www.pps.go.kr

http://www.pps.go.kr


agreements (SLA), key performance indicators (KPI), and procedures to follow, such as examination of Re-quest for Qualifications (RFQ) and Request for Pro-posal (RFP),18 competitive bidding, vendor selection, and contracting . Fourth, the project management stage consists of management activities of progress, human resources, finance, conflict resolution, risk, change, quality, audit, property, and transfer . The fifth and final stage includes operation, maintenance, performance monitoring, and upgrades .

Key Considerations for Successful PPPsIn spite of well-prepared procedures and methodologies for contract and project management, numerous fac-tors, both tangible and intangible, interact to affect the performance of a project . Although a project appears to be successful in terms of project management, problems that were not anticipated at the design stage may later constrain the successful operation of the project . A vol-atile political arena may regard the project as a failure if poor accessibility and low usage of users become a social issue . There are a number of success and risk factors to take into consideration from the Korean experiences . First, the active commitment of the top decision maker and civil servants is important . As e-government, as a reform agenda streamlines the internal work processes and provides more efficient, transparent, and inte-grated services to citizens, its outsourcing often causes resistance from civil servants and stakeholders who are

accustomed to closed and red-taped work processes and silo-oriented legacy systems . Civil servants tend to be negative and even resistant to outsourcing of e-govern-ment if it appears to threaten their interests, such as promotion and job rotation . Therefore, senior officials, including the top decision maker, must actively support the positive atmosphere of disseminating outsourcing into e-government projects .

Second, a well-prepared plan is a key to maxi-mize the benefits by minimizing various organizational, financial, human, and technological risks . It includes basic strategic tools to retain specialized human re-sources within the public sector that address contract and project management in a proper way . The NIA, as an entrusted e-government project manager, has exer-cised the role properly since its institutionalization in 1987 . In order to create user-friendly documentation and good RFPs, the government has to be ready to uti-lize in the plan outside consultants who possess relevant experiences and skills .

Third, a vendor must be selected . Usually a ven-dor who is recognized as capable of performing the contract and tenders the lowest price in a competitive bidding market becomes the successful tenderer (Act

18 An RFQ is a request for companies to submit their qualifi-cations to be considered as a qualified partner for a project, while an RFP is a request for companies to submit their pro-posal for a project including key items such as best price, experiences and skilled expertise .

Figure 5 .5 Typical Life Cycle of Outsourcing Management

Identification

• Environment analysis• Supplier market analysis• Needs assessment

• Feasibility study• Risk assessment• Framing project plan• Budget allocation

• Request for Qualifications(RFQ)• Request for Proposal (RFP)• Competitive bidding• Developer selection• Contract

• Progress management• Change management• Quality/risk management• Audit• Property transfer

• Operation & maintenance• Performance monitoring• Feedback• Upgrade

Developmentand assessment

Contractmanagement

Projectmanagement

Operationand maintenance


on Contracts to Which the State is a Party, Article 10) . However, since the lowest bid is not always the best choice for determining a tenderer for an e-government project with a high degree of technological difficulty, a vendor whose tender is the most favorable to the gov-ernment according to the criteria specified for evalu-ation in the tender notice or tender guidance should become the successful tenderer . In addition, the Korean government requires ministries entering into a contract to pay at an appropriate price level, rather than just the lowest price, to ensure the development of the software industry and the quality of the software business (Soft-ware Industry Promotion Act Article 22) . Generally, in the competitive bidding of e-government projects, while the price ratio is 10~20 percent, technology and other factors are 80~90 percent .

Finally, vendor management is central to the suc-cessful outsourcing of project management . The project

manager has to ensure that there is a SLA defining the expected levels of services,19 in order to control possible opportunistic behaviors of vendors and avoid depen-dency of the government and its affiliates on the vendor . The project manager tends either, to exert bureaucratic superiority over a specific vendor, or to take a risk of excessive dependence on the vendor . A project manager should not regard the outsourcer just as an agent, but as a partner to work with . Vendor management must include the establishment of a sound partnership, with shared risks and rewards for both partners .

19 SLA is a standardized service contract where a principal (gov-ernment) and an agent (vendor) agree on the scope, quality, and responsibilities of a service .

LESSONS AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS

Legal and Institutional Arrangements

Korea has enacted several laws on CRVS and CMIS in order to meet the expecta-tions of citizens as well as to keep up with institutional and technological changes occurring since the 1960s . The enactment of the RR Act and the Statistics Act in 1962, along with the launch of the first Economic Development Plan, was a start-ing point . Thus, the present legal system is made up of the historical accumulations of developments during the past half century . These laws and regulations enhance the accuracy and consistency of CRVS data and promote the efficient and inte-grated management of CMIS . Developing countries, however, do not necessarily have to follow this legal system of Korea . Rather, an enforceable single law that identifies the key elements of CRVS, CMIS, and personal information protection and that stipulates them together into a harmonized manner may suffice . In cir-cumstances where developing countries have a weak legislative capacity due to an unstable political environment, it is recommended that they design a framework of CRVS and CMIS into an integrated format . In this case, a draft of civil registration law can include four crucial parts as below:

1 . Civil registration: births, deaths, marriages, divorces, residency and migration; national identity management (registration record card, identification num-ber, identification card) and population change survey

2 . Database development and e-government services: digitization of CRVS data, development and operation of e-government service of CRVS, information sharing among public agencies

3 . Personal information protection and cybersecurity: collection and use of CR, restrictions on collection, use, and transfer of CR, restriction on management of identification numbers

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4 . Incentive compatible mechanism: imposition of carrots (rewards) and sticks (penalties) on civil servants and customers with their own duties and responsibilities

Incentive System

The Korean government employs various incentive sys-tems to secure the compliance of civil officers and cit-izens in implementing CRVS and CMIS policies . For example, legal regulations stipulate that civil petitioners who request paper documents for FRR and RR verifi-cations pay a small fee . City, county, or district offices and community service centers have been charging this fee to help cover the cost of managing and issuing paper documents . The change in the fee system encountered resistance when electronic issuance of the RR certificate verification commenced because there was no efficient way to collect the small fee electronically other than waiving the fee for civil petitioners . The government guaranteed other sources of income for some of these offices . A proper incentive system for administrative agencies needs to be developed during the digitization of CRVS .

There is a fundamental difference between the ap-proach of government agencies and that of private com-panies in collecting personal information . Private com-panies proactively collect customer information to stay competitive, whereas the government enforces people to submit CRVS data to meet adequate legal requirements . For example, the government ensures the accuracy of birth and death reports by charging a fine of less than 50 thousand KRW if parents do not submit the reports to corresponding institutions within a month . In addition, the law imposes severe penalties for illegal generation and use of the RIN . Civil servants may be imprisoned or enforced to pay a fine for wrongful manipulation of the FRR, RR, and their systems . Other stipulations impose various penalties and fines to ensure the reliability and accuracy of CRVS management (Table 6 .1) .

Capacity Development of Civil Servants and Users

A well-developed education and training program for promoting digital literacy and processing capacity is one of the most important success factors in CVRS . Once the CRVS information system has been deployed, both

Table 6 .1 Penalties and Fines for Personal Information Privacy Violations

Category Object Main Contents

Family relationship registration

Civil servant • Providing FRR information to others for external use /reasons

Citizen • Not reported within 30 days of birth • Viewing and issuing of others’ FRR information• Fake reports or fake witnesses

Resident registration

Citizen • Illegal manufacture and usage of RIN• Using RR certificate card as means to fulfill unlawful obligations• Double reporting to RR reporting office• Distributor of fake RIN generating program• Illegal use of others’ RR certificate cards

Electronic government

Citizen • Activities related to data forgery, modification, damage and leaks• Illegal forgery, modification or damage to AISS

Civil servant • Lack of prior consent of information agent for information sharing• Violation of information owner’s right to view during information sharing

Entrusted manager • Leaking secrets related to commissioned tasks of e-government

Lessons and Policy Implications 61

civil servants and citizens have to be proactive through ongoing operation and maintenance of the system . In order to utilize the CMIS, they are required to have proper expertise to access the system and use it in their businesses . Well-trained front-office civil servants are able to understand and use the CMIS in their internal business and in their service to citizens . Without com-pulsory enforcement, officials can tend to resist using the CMIS if it is unfamiliar to them . For instance, when Korea initially deployed its computerized CRVS system, many civil servants would regress back to the traditional manual work practices .

The government provides those officials involved in policy formulation, implementation, and service de-livery—depending on the e-government systems in-volved—with several education and training programs at each rank of the civil service . Examples are the Na-tional Human Resources Development Institute under the Ministry of Personnel, and the Local Government Officials Development Institute under the MOI . For instance, in response to the demand for diverse training programs, the MOI provides regular programs for civil servants in charge of the Minwon24 portal service .

Personal Information Protection and Cybersecurity

The biggest issue now concerning the CRVS system in Korea is the possibility of abuse and leak of personal information20 regarding the FRR, RIN, and RR certif-icate cards . Any information systems inevitably cause public concern about information security and personal privacy . The CRVS information system in Korea uses the RIN as a medium both to ascertain the identity of the individual and to provide basic information derived from other information services . Since the RIN has become the most frequently utilized method of identity verifica-tion for online transactions through the Internet in both public and private sectors, the government has been making efforts to strengthen the protection of personal information alongside the development of alternative

identity verification methods . The MOI, Korean Com-munications Commission (KCC), and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) recently took legal, managerial, and technical measures to prohibit the use of the RIN on the Internet . Legal measures refer to amendments of various related legislation, while mana-gerial measures refer to policy and execution procedures and processes of the administrative agencies in charge of managing CRVS personal information . Technical measures refer to the development of various technical devices for the protection of personal information .

Technical measures that can prevent security breaches from the outside through the Internet, such as the hacking of the internal CRVS database and ad-ministrative network, are critical to the functioning of the CRVS . Core components include a dual layer of firewalls between the Internet and the internal net-work, implementation for the servers in the demilita-rized zone, and encryption applied to all the sections of the network . The Korean government implements technical measures for upgrading the separation of the administrative network from the general Internet net-work (network isolation), and enhancing information security technology (intrusion detection management system, de-identification technology, and privacy im-pact assessment) .

Concerns about the abuse and leak of personal information as well as information security may inten-sify with the implementation of new information tech-nology such as cloud computing, Internet of Things and big data analytics . The government has begun to employ technical measures such as anonymization and de-identification of shared information and open government data . Governments should try to balance

20 The Personal Information Protection Act defines personal information as ‘“information of a living person such as full name, RIN, images, etc ., that can be used to identify the individual” (Article 1 of the Personal Information Protection Act) . This includes information that cannot be used on its own to identify a person, but can be easily combined with other information for identification .


trade-offs between privacy protection and open gov-ernment . Open government data and disclosure of administrative information greatly enhance citizens’ trust in the transparency of public administration and evidence-based policy decision making . The Korean government is addressing increasing social demand for freedom of information and open government data through the implementation of the Official Informa-tion Disclosure Act of 1998 and the Act on Promotion of the Provision and Use of Public Data of 2014 .

Technological Factors

Recent developments in ICTs have laid the foundation for more revolutionary changes in government oper-ation . While ICTs are not a panacea for resolving all public administration problems, they provide a new opportunity for tackling the untamed problems that have remained unsolved .

The N-Type growth model of CMIS shows the continuous efforts of the Korean government for over a half century to innovate administrative work process-es by utilizing technologies step-by-step . (See Figure 3 .1 above) . Over this period, for example, the software paradigm has shifted from proprietary software in the 1970s to open source software in the 2010s (WEF, 2013) . Now, any nation can take advantage of good opportunities to expand and enhance services and put smart government at the fingertips of citizens by adopt-ing new technologies, including mobile phones, social media, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things . The government needs to enact the integration of rapid-ly evolving ICTs into existing on- and offline adminis-trative work processes . At the same time, it must address problems that arise from the combination of new and existing technologies . For example, in 2015, Korea en-acted the Cloud Computing Development Act, which is bringing about a fundamental change in the entire com-puting environment of central and local governments .

CONCLUDING REMARKS

A civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system draws on many sectors of

government, including statistics, health, civil registry, finance, and plan-ning . This system plays a significant role in public administration not only

by providing individuals with legal identity and civil status, but also by generating information that can be used for planning, monitoring, and developing diverse government services . The data is also essential for identifying and monitoring key health issues in the population . However, in developing countries, citizens usually have a low awareness of the significance of the CRVS system, so that the usage and participation rates of CRVS systems remain very low despite the government’s ef-forts to promote CRVS systems . A key challenge is how to overcome practices, tra-dition, or customs that seemingly reject the very act of registration of a vital event, such as in the case of indigenous peoples’ preferences to have babies delivered at home or to make arrangements for their deceased based on religious reasons . Most low- and middle-income countries with paper-based records of birth and death events have difficult in retrieving and sharing information between government agencies for better policy-making .

The CRVS case study of Korea shows a number of important implications for developing countries that are striving to develop their own CRVS system .

First, The Korean government may not have designed an ideal type of CRVS at the outset, but it has transformed and continuously upgraded the system to make it more efficient and customer-oriented . . Even today, the government is making efforts to provide customized CRVS service using state-of-the-art technologies such as mobile devices, Internet of Things, and cloud computing . The government is also trying to make the legal and institutional rearrangements timely and consistent with these technological advances . An example of a key success factor is that politi-cal and administrative leadership play key roles in the establishment, consolidation, and management of a CRVS system for national goals aimed at economic develop-ment and improvement of citizens’ way of life .

7


Second, creation and inducement of demand for CRVS functions through raising public awareness of ensuing benefits is also an important prerequisite . In order for a CR system to work, there needs to be an in-centive system that gives an individual a good reason to register . When it is used as a mechanism that provides various welfare services and other services, citizens will be more favorably inclined towards using it . As with the case of other countries that have a high utilization rate of a CRVS system, Korea started its system for purpos-es of public control and management, but over time, came to use it as a medium for providing services and improving the quality of life of citizens . Third, a silo mentality in government bureaucracy prohibits coor-dination and collaboration between public agencies, and between public and private sector actors . In order to overcome this problem, the Korean government has developed strategic master plans with long-term vision and missions designed by presidential advisory commit-tees consisting of outside experts and inter-ministerial task forces . It is thus recommended that for a well-de-signed CRVS system to work, governments concerned should first build a proper coordination and collabo-ration system for the strategic planning of the CRVS across sectors, agencies, or stakeholders .

Fourth, many developing countries find that the CRVS system requires substantial initial investments in human and technological resources that they cannot af-ford . Capacity building is, however, critical for a success-ful CRVS system . Building up human resources capacity includes the provision of education and training oppor-tunities for CRVS staff, such as government officials in charge of registration procedures, healthcare staff in-volved in recording vital events, and team leaders tasked with promoting CRVS to the public . In the process of statistical capacity building, more systematic collection of administrative data will improve government per-formance and encourage evidence-based policymaking . The recommendation here is for governments to allocate adequate resources to building the capacities of human resources capable of planning and utilizing procedures that result in quality CRVS data collection and analysis .

Finally, for a well-functioning CRVS system, there should be clear rules and regulations on rights, duties, and responsibilities of citizens as well as of civil servants . Clear legal responsibilities imposed on public agencies can ensure consistent and reliable CRVS data produced and disseminated in a timely manner . Policy-makers have to pay attention to and support the necessary leg-islation and timely amendments to require civil servants to react responsibly to citizens’ needs . Legal statements are necessary to promote the right of citizens to know and access administrative information, and to keep the confidentiality of personal information from being mis-used or abused . The right to access includes a fee system where registration of births and deaths is free of charge and does not pose an additional monetary burden to low-income families . Strict legal and institutional frame-works can help the government maintain the integrity and consistency of CRVS data and prevent fraudulent registration of vital events . A secure and reliable cyber-security environment is a factor critical to the success-ful operation of the CRVS system . At the same time, an increasing civic consciousness expects the government to disclose administrative information and open public data . There are, however, very often conflicts between these values in terms of priority and importance, and Korea is no exception on this issue . Thus, the govern-ment has to keep a balance in safeguarding people’s right to information, and the need for protection of personal information and classified data for national security .

There are many considerations for the efficient establishment of a CRVS system . It is crucial that all par-ties embarking on this initiative are strongly committed to long-term and sustainable CRVS development . This means there should be reviews of short- and long-term goals, appraisals of methods and mechanisms used, re-flections of personnel involved, capacity building, and other enhancement efforts along the way to make sure the CRVS project stays on track . It is equally critical that there is close collaboration between stakeholders .

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) initiated by the United Nations call for promises to “Leave No One Behind” and “Get Everyone in the

Concluding Remarks 65

Picture”, which are in turn commitments that highlight the need for inclusive and accountable CRVS systems in all nations . For these goals to succeed, governments must first realize that CRVS is fundamental for provid-ing data to create the most suitable policies for nation building and to monitor targets set when formulating

these policies . Accordingly, this report presents a case study on Korea’s experience with regard to CRVS sys-tem developments . The descriptions and recommenda-tions hopefully provide a good guideline for developing countries that are striving to implement and enhance their national CRVS systems .

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