- MSIT, the Ministry of Government Legislation, and the Presidential Committee on the Digital Platform Government announce and enforce amendments to 21 laws to promote a paperless administration. 

The Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Yoo Sang-im, hereinafter referred to as “MSIT”), the Ministry of Government Legislation (Minister Lee Wan-kyu), and the Presidential Committee on the Digital Platform Government (Chairman Kim Chang-kyung) announced the promulgation and enforcement of amendments to 13 Presidential Decrees, including the Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Consumers, and 8 Ministerial Ordinances* on November 12. These amendments clarify that the concept of an "original document," which is required to be retained or compared under certain laws, can include electronic documents.

While the use of electronic documents has expanded across all administrative tasks, many existing legal provisions still require "original documents." However, the concept of an "original document" has not been clearly defined, resulting in operational inefficiencies. In practice, physical documents are often printed, stored, or used alongside their electronic versions, causing duplication and unnecessary inconvenience.

In response, the government included the clarification that electronic documents can be recognized as "original documents" as a key task in the Digital Platform Government Implementation Plan (June 2023). It conducted a comprehensive review of existing laws and gathered input from relevant ministries to identify necessary amendments. After coordinating with 12 ministries, including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the government prioritized 27 laws for the first phase of revisions, which were addressed through a batch amendment process.

* This initiative is part of Task 11-2 of the "120 National Policy Tasks of the Yoon Suk Yeol Administration," which focuses on redesigning administrative processes to align with the digital era.

The amendments include the following:

 Clarification that electronic or digitized documents can now be stored instead of physical paper documents in cases where laws require the retention of original documents.

 New provisions explicitly allow comparison or verification of stored digitized documents in cases where laws require the comparison or confirmation of original documents.

 Mobile IDs can now be used for identity verification in cases where laws require the presentation of an original ID.

* Digitized documents must comply with all requirements outlined in Article 5 of the Framework Act on Electronic Documents and Electronic Transactions, including maintaining the same format as when they were created, converted, or stored.

In addition, four legislative amendments, including the Framework Act on National Taxes, were passed by the Cabinet on November 5 and have been submitted to the National Assembly. The government will collaborate with relevant ministries to ensure the swift passage of these bills. For issues requiring further review—such as the actual practices surrounding the submission or return of original documents—a second phase of revisions* will be launched. This phase will involve consultations with relevant ministries by the end of the year.

* The categorization of revision types and detailed proposals will be based on the findings of operational reviews on the handling of original documents conducted by each ministry.

MSIT Minister Yoo Sang-im stated,

"A swift transition to a digital administrative system is essential for realizing the Digital Platform Government. We hope this reform brings us closer to achieving paperless administration, and the government will continue to innovate work processes to enhance efficiency and improve convenience for the public."

Minister of Government Legislation Lee Wan-kyu commented,

"This reform is expected to reduce costs associated with printing and storing paper documents while advancing paperless administration. The government will continue to collaborate across ministries to prepare for the future and actively identify and refine laws and policies that contribute to fostering innovation."

Presidential Committee on the Digital Platform Government Chairman Kim Chang-kyung added,

"The government is committed to innovating administrative systems, including legal frameworks, based on a digital-first design principle. This will accelerate the realization of the Digital Platform Government and allow citizens to benefit from more convenient administrative services. We will maintain close cooperation with relevant ministries to achieve this goal."

For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT. 

Please refer to the attached PDF.