Birth dates will now replace the resident registration number on almost all government documents under a government drive to strengthen the protection of personal information, officials said Tuesday.

Previously, people were required to write down their 13-digit resident registration number on all official documents submitted to government offices, making them vulnerable to identity theft.

Under the revised rule, which was passed in the weekly Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and took effect immediately, people will now only be required to write down their birth dates for almost all government documents in place of the confidential resident registration number, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security said.

The government changed 59 kinds of forms used by nine ministries, including the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs.

In addition, 1,598 other kinds of documents in use at various government ministries and offices were also changed to remove the space for the resident registration number.

Ministry officials said the revised rule will be applied to almost all official documents, except for those related to public security.
In Korea, resident registration numbers have been widely used for the purposes of administrative, financial, medical and welfare services. (Yonhap)