South Korea: Samsung Integrates Blockchain-Based Identity Solution Into Blockchain Keystore

South Korean multinational conglomerate Samsung has integrated SK Telecom’s blockchain-based mobile identity solution into its Blockchain Keystore.

A Major Push for Blockchain Identities in South Korea

Yesterday, major South Korean telecom operator SK Telecom announced that it had integrated its distributed ledger technology-powered (DLT) mobile identity solution Pass with the Samsung Blockchain Keystore.

For the uninitiated, three of the largest Korean telecom operators, SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus had launched a blockchain-powered identity app dubbed “PASS” in June this year to enable Koreans store and authenticate their driving license data on a publicly accessible blockchain network. Earlier this month, the total number of subscribers on the platform crossed one million.

SK Telecom’s Blockchain/Certification Business Division Head, Se-Hyun Oh, said:

“‘Initial’ is a service that allows users to safely and conveniently verify their identity and qualifications online, and to manage personal information directly, and has been rapidly growing since COVID-19.”

Notably, Pass is a multi-utility app that can be used for various purposes, including the authentication of age without spilling personal details in the driver’s license. The app can also be used for the renewal of a driver’s license and is currently being used across 27 driving centers in South Korea. It is expected that by the end of the year the app will be rolled out for traffic stops with car rental firms showing more interest.

Samsung Openly Embraces Blockchain Technology

While regulators and government entities are fiddling with blockchain technology to integrate it into the daily economy, Samsung, on its part, is bringing the emerging technology and cryptocurrencies closer to everyone via its smartphones.

Earlier this year, BTCManager reported that Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S20 range of phones includes an improved security system that safeguard’s the user’s blockchain private key.

Similar, in October last year, Samsung successfully integrated decentralized web blockchain Tron (TRX) into the Blockchain Keystore to open the gates for Tron developers to build and launch their TRX-powered dApps to the nearly one billion Samsung smartphone users.

On a more recent note, BTCManager reported in May that Winklevoss brothers-backed Gemini cryptocurrency exchange had inked a partnership with Samsung to bring crypto trading to over four million users in the U.S. and Canada.