Government Announces Unconditional Punishment Plan for Residence Registration Number Misuse

From now on, if one is caught using another’s residence registration number, he or she will be punished even if one didn’t seek illegal gain such as assets or property.

The Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs announced on August 9 that a bill revising part of the residence registration law which includes the above will be discussed at a cabinet meeting and will be presented before the regular session of the National Assembly in September.

The revised bill says that unlawful uses of residence registration numbers, even without illegal gain, will be subject to punishment if it is determined that it did mental harm to them

The current residence registration law punishes only those who use the residence registration numbers of others to pursue unjust gains.

However, in terms of teenagers who illegally use their family’s numbers, it will be decided whether to punish them based on their family’s wishes.

The revision states that various notifications regarding residence registration, including the moving-in notification, can be entrusted to the spouse or a lineally-related family member.

Residence registration tables which are managed on paper and by computer will be unified and managed by computer.

Tae-Hun Hwang beetlez@donga.com