hankyoreh

A human rights association representing 41 groups protests the issuance of electronic passports in front of the Foreign Ministry on Sejong Avenue on September 30.

The association argues that information contained on the microchips embedded in the passports could easily be stolen using a simple computer program or a Radio-frequency identification reader. They say the Foreign Ministry should collect all of the electronic passports that have already been issued.

Kim Seung-uk, a member of the progressive Jinbo Network, said they had confirmed that a RFID reader could be used to download the information on the passport, including resident identification numbers, with no need for a hacking device.

In response, a Foreign Ministry official said that the association’s arguments are in a sense exaggerated. It said it initiated the system as part of the country’s efforts to join the U.S. visa waiver program, which requires the use of electronic passports. The ministry began issuing the electronic passports since August 25 and had issued 181,226 of them as of September 16.

Photo by Shin So-yeong/The Hankyoreh.