South Korea announces to launch online voting through blockchain technology by Elections 2022

South Korea’s Ministry of Science and Technology has announced a “Blockchain Technology Diffusion Strategy” , under which seven technological key areas are highlighted with online voting and election system by 2022 to be on priority.

To bridge the technology gap

The Minister of Science and Technology Choi Ki-young, is of the viewpoint that South Korea can take advantage of the current COVID-19 crisis and develop blockchain systems that are hyper-connected and faceless. This will help drive the country towards being the leader in the changing face of the economy.

For now, the current focus is to bridge the gap between South Korea and the developed countries through using upgraded technology and infrastructure while offering support to other communities also.

A 2018 survey by The Institute for Information and Communications Technology Promotion (IITP) which is a government institution, declared that South Korea was approximately 2.4 years behind global leaders like the United States, China, and Japan in meeting global technological standards. They think this lack is due to a lack of support from the government and strict blockchain rules.

Online Voting and Election System to be prioritized

The government is trying to establish blockchain systems in almost all walks of life including voting, donations, social welfare, postal services, real estate transactions, renewable energy, finance, and social welfare. But its main focus remains on building a voting system through which regional businesses can use blockchain in their system.

Digital Identity (DID) service

The Digital Identity (DID) service is an important part of an online voting system. This service helps citizens secure their data while managing their privacy also. It is very different from the controversial traditional identity systems.

With a blockchain-based voting and elections system that merges DID, there is no risk of tampering. It also provides the unification of infrastructure that eventually aids the government and the users.

BTC Manager reported on June 24, 2020, that leading telecommunication companies in South Korea such as SK Telecom had created a blockchain-based identity application called PASS. This application helps citizens to store and validate their driving licenses from their smartphones.

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