“But there has to be more risk assessment technologically to make sure the danger doesn’t outweigh the benefits,” he said.

The World Bank calls digital IDs a “game-changer” and McKinsey & Co sees their potential to increase a nation’s gross domestic output by up to 13 per cent and cut business costs by trillions of dollars.

McKinsey’s estimate is based on wide take-up of digital IDs, saving time in administrative work, reducing payroll fraud, expanding consumer credit, facilitating trade and spawning new markets.

“Every service that hasn’t been able to fully transition online will now be able to do so,” said Suh Bo Ram, director general of Korea’s digital-government bureau, who is spearheading the plan.

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The Covid-19 passport implanted in your skin using this NFC-enabled microchip

The Covid-19 passport implanted in your skin using this NFC-enabled microchip

Korea could reap at least 60 trillion won (US$42 billion), or 3 per cent of GDP, in economic value within a decade, he said.

Koreans’ zeal for early adoption may help, too. They rank No 1 in the world when it comes to the enthusiasm and ability to apply tech in everyday life, businesses and government, according to the Portulans Institute, a Washington-based think tank.

Koreans currently rely on resident registration cards – similar to a US social security card – to identify themselves. Under the proposal, an app would embed those IDs into mobile devices.

Korea will launch digital IDs in 2024 and seeks their adoption by 45 million citizens within two years. That ambition may be hampered by each individual needing to travel to a town office and paying a fee to renew their registration card.

Suh acknowledged the concerns while expressing confidence that the hurdles will pale in comparison to the benefits. The government, he said, is also aware of “big brother” concerns, referring to George Orwell’s 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Under the plan, the government will have no access to information stored on individual phones, including details of whose digital IDs are used, how they are used and where, because the system will rely entirely on decentralised identity, an advanced strand of blockchain technology, he said.

Did everyone get Busan’s memo on becoming the blockchain hub?

Blockchain, widely known as the engine behind bitcoin, refers to a digital log of data verified by devices on the network whenever it’s updated. Hackers would have to break into each individual device to manipulate data, while the chance of theft is reduced because there’s no central server storing information.

“Korea is becoming a quiet power showing the future of global tech,” said Heather Vescent, president of Oregon-based IDPro, an association for digital ID professionals.

Other governments have also recognised the benefits of digital IDs.

In Estonia, where most of its eligible 1.3 million people have a digital ID to vote, pay bills and sign documents, the government allows phones to be used for verification if a special SIM card is attached, according to its website. Germany has a similar chip-based programme.

According to proponents, other benefits of digital IDs include:

• Facilitating online medical services without visiting doctors in person

• Entering hotel rooms by just scanning smartphones over kiosks

• Preventing ID forgery and theft

• Approving contracts remotely without the need to sign them

• Enhanced fast-track boarding processes at airports