Overview
Korea Digital ID verifies South Korean users through Korea Credit Bureau (KCB), an identity verification provider in South Korea. The end user confirms their identity with KCB in a KCB window, and KCB returns the verified result to Persona.
Korea Digital ID is the recommended way to verify South Korean users under South Korea’s PIPA regulations. It does not ask the end user for a Resident Registration Number (RRN) or a photo of a Korean government ID. To learn how PIPA affects Government ID Verification in South Korea, see South Korea PIPA Compliance (August 2026).
Verification methods
Korea Digital ID offers three methods. Each one is a separate verification type in Persona:
| Method | Verification type in the Dashboard | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | Digital ID KCB Phone verification | Verifies the end user through the mobile phone plan registered in their name, including through the PASS app. This method covers the most South Korean users. |
| Credit card | Digital ID KCB Credit Card verification | Verifies the end user through a credit card issued in their name. KCB returns the identity of the primary cardholder, so a family or authorized-user card returns the primary cardholder’s details rather than the end user’s. |
| i-PIN | Digital ID KCB i-PIN verification | Verifies the end user with an i-PIN, an online identity credential. It is for users who do not have a phone plan or a credit card in their own name. i-PIN may not be available for every organization, so confirm with your Persona account team whether you can offer it. |
The end user does not choose between methods on a Persona screen. Each method is its own step in your flow, and the end user sees a screen titled Continue verifying with KCB while the KCB window is open.
What a successful verification returns
When the end user completes KCB verification, the Verification in the Dashboard shows:
- Full name
- Birthdate
- Sex
- Native/foreigner code, which shows whether the person is a Korean national or a foreign resident
KCB does not return the end user’s phone number, mobile carrier, or card details. Korea Digital ID also does not return a portrait image, so a Selfie Verification in the same flow cannot compare the selfie against it. See Making Digital IDs and Selfie work for how to order verifications when you need a face match.
Each Korea Digital ID verification type includes these Verification checks. All three are in beta:
- Flow completed: detects whether the end user completed the KCB verification flow.
- Service Available: detects whether results from the KCB service are available.
- Inquiry Comparison: compares the identity attributes from KCB against the Inquiry. By default it compares full name and birthdate.
CI and DI
KCB can also provide two identifiers: Connecting Information (CI), which identifies the same person across services, and Duplication Information (DI), which identifies the same person within one service. Persona does not store CI or DI by default. To store either one, your organization needs an approved compliance arrangement with Persona.
Get Korea Digital ID enabled
Korea Digital ID is not self-serve. Persona has to enable each method for your organization before you can use it.
To get started, contact your Persona account team. Tell them:
- which methods you want to offer: phone, credit card, i-PIN, or a combination
- whether you want to use your own KCB credentials or Persona’s shared KCB credentials
- whether you need to store CI or DI
KCB credentials
A Korea Digital ID verification can run on your organization’s own KCB credentials or on Persona’s shared KCB credentials. If you have your own contract with KCB, your Persona account team adds your credentials to your KCB verification templates. You cannot enter KCB credentials in the Dashboard yourself. If no credentials of your own are set, Persona uses its shared credentials.
Add Korea Digital ID to your flow
Once Persona enables Korea Digital ID for your organization, your Persona account team adds the KCB steps to your Inquiry Template. You cannot add KCB steps from the Flow Editor yourself. Each method uses a KCB verification template and runs as part of your Inquiry flow.
In an Action Step or Workflow, each method has two actions:
| Method | Action that starts the verification | Action that handles the result |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | Run KCB Phone Verification | Process KCB Phone Verification Results |
| Credit card | Run KCB Credit Card Verification | Process KCB Credit Card Verification Results |
| i-PIN | Run KCB i-PIN Verification | Process KCB i-PIN Verification Results |
These actions only appear in the action list after Persona enables the matching method for your organization.
Fallback order
Because each method is a separate step, your flow decides which method the end user tries first and where the flow goes if that method does not complete. A common order is:
- Phone, which covers the most users.
- Credit card, for users who cannot verify by phone.
- i-PIN, if it is available for your organization, for users who have neither a phone plan nor a credit card in their own name.
Branching Steps on each Verification result send the end user to the next method, or to a success or failure screen. Your Persona account team sets the order and the branching with you for your use case.
To learn more or request access, let us know. We're happy to help.