South Korea to change passport design

Option A and B for cover design / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Should diplomats and some other government officials be allowed to use passports of different colors?

Inside the new passport

By Jung Min-ho

The South Korean government will determine the country's new passport design by the end of the year ― and your opinion is needed.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism revealed new design options, Monday, saying they would gather more options before making a final decision.

If everything goes as planned, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will start issuing the new passports from 2020.

There are two options for the cover design: one has the nation's symbolic Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon) mark in a bright color at the top, while the other does not highlight it.

The ministries also must decide whether to allow diplomats and other government officials with special tasks to use passports of different colors.

The ministries came up with the design options based on the award-winning work of Kim Su-zung, a fine arts professor at Seoul National University.

The ministries said they would gather opinions from visitors at Culture Station Seoul 284 from Oct. 18-28. They also plan to conduct online surveys before making a final decision at the end of December.