[Seoul Economy]
The Digital Platform Government Committee, along with the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Government Legislation, announced that a comprehensive amendment of 13 Presidential Decrees and 8 Ordinances, including the ‘Consumer Basic Law Enforcement Decree’, which clarifies that the concept of ‘original’ required for retention or verification in legal terms can include electronic documents, was promulgated and enforced on the 12th. This is aimed at reducing unnecessary paper printouts of administrative documents.
With this amendment, it has been clarified that if a law requires the storage of an original, it can be stored as an electronic document or digitalized document. A new regulation has been established stating that if a law requires verification or confirmation of the original, it can be done through electronic documents stored. It also provides a basis for confirming identity through the presentation of a mobile ID if the law requires presenting the original ID.
The government selected legislative reform to include electronic documents in the concept of originals as a task for the ‘Digital Platform Government Realization Plan,’ conducted a comprehensive review of current legislation, and collected opinions from relevant departments to discover the amended legislation. Subsequently, they selected 27 laws as the first priority for amendment through consultations with 12 ministries, including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and proceeded with the comprehensive amendment process.
Similarly, four legislative proposals, including the ‘Basic National Tax Law,’ which pursued reform with the same intent, were passed at the Cabinet meeting on the 5th of this month and are currently submitted to the National Assembly. The government plans to support these bills to pass swiftly through inter-departmental collaboration. Additionally, types that require further understanding of actual operational situations regarding the submission or return of originals will be classified as a second round of reform tasks, and efforts will be made to organize them through consultations with relevant departments within the year.
Kim Chang-gyeong, Chairman of the Digital Platform Government Committee, stated, “We will continue to work with related departments to accelerate the realization of the digital platform government and provide more convenient administrative services to the people.”
Yoo Sang-im, Minister of Science and ICT, expressed, “We hope to take a step closer to implementing paperless administration with this reform.” He also noted, “The government will continue to innovate the way it works to enhance work efficiency and increase the convenience of the public.”
Lee Wan-kyu, Minister of Government Legislation, remarked, “The government will proactively prepare for the future through inter-departmental collaboration and actively discover and improve innovative laws and policies.”