Military Manpower Administration eases online verification for overseas conscripts

For young Korean men living abroad, fulfilling the nation’s mandatory military service has long required navigating a notoriously rigid domestic digital bureaucracy. But the government is now easing its strict online authentication requirements, a move aimed at streamlining long-distance compliance for overseas conscripts. The Military Manpower Administration said Monday that Korean conscripts residing overseas can now use private-sector digital certificates to verify their identities on the agency's online portal. Under the new framework, citizens abroad can authenticate their identity using digital certificates issued by five major financial institutions: Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, Woori Bank, Hana Bank and the fintech platform Toss. The policy shift addresses a long-standing logistical bottleneck for Koreans abroad. Previously, accessing military administrative services from abroad required government-issued public key certificates, a specialized military email address issued only after an initial physical exam or a digital ID that required a physical visit to an overseas diplomat