Seoul set to implement blockchain-based administrative services

Seoul, the hub of blockchain and cryptocurrencies in South Korea, recently concluded a blockchain workshop that was aimed at reviving the ‘Blockchain City Seoul Promotion Plan’ initiative. The conference was held at Incheon International Airport Human Resource Development Institute.

The first initiative, which was announced in October 2018, had since lost momentum given that no active steps were taken to implement it. The initiative was set to develop 14 blockchain-based administrative services in Seoul by 2022. A total of 127.3 billion won ($105 million) was forthwith committed for the implementation of the Plan over a 5 year period.

While talking to reporters, an officer at the Seoul City Smart City stated:

We held the first workshop to talk about the contents and requirements to cooperate with each other regarding the establishment of the blockchain administrative service. In addition to the additional workshops, we will continue to discuss and talk in November. We will be able to build the service as it is.

Given that little had happened in terms of the actual progress of the plan since its launch in October, the July 1 meeting is thus far a tangible sign that something material is in the offering.

In the workshop, the specifics of the rollout were discussed, deadlines of the implementation phases set, and goals of the plan established. Accordingly, the blockchain services are to be controlled by the city but will be operated by private enterprises.

Another outcome of the workshop was to have the plan implemented in two phases. The first phase consists of services to be completely rolled out by November this year, and the second phase is those services to be implemented past the November deadline.

The services to be rolled out by November include blockchain-based part-time workers rights program. This program will enable temporary employees to sign simple contracts with their employers. This will allow the company and the city to keep track of the employees work history, and maintain timesheet. It will also register the part-time workers for the country’s four major social insurance programs.

The city will also offer a reward system service through this program. Notably, residents of Seoul will receive S coins for engaging in public services. After receiving these coins residents will redeem them for rewards. For a start, the city will use tax payments and participation in public opinion polls to generate the coins.

Thirdly, the city using the blockchain-based program will offer digital authentication of Seoul’s citizen cards. Lastly, Seoul will offer a blockchain-based service for submitting citizen’s qualifications without paper documents. This is in a bid to limit on forgery of paper documents in the region.

According the report, other programs not within the November deadline include; smart healthcare, donation management, and online certificate verification systems.