Korean National Police Agency launches text alert service for international license holders
South Koreans who obtain an international driver's license will soon receive a text message with all the information they need to drive abroad.
The Korean National Police Agency announced Thursday that it will launch a text alert service for international driver's license holders Monday, in collaboration with the Overseas Koreans Agency and the Korea Road Traffic Authority.
Until now, those planning to use an international driver's license abroad had to check separately — consulting the Korea Road Traffic Authority to find out which countries accept the license, and contacting overseas diplomatic missions for country-specific driving precautions.
In response, the agency worked with the relevant bodies to create a text alert service that delivers all necessary information in one go at the time of license issuance. The aim is to reduce the inconvenience of searching for information piecemeal and to prevent problems Korean nationals may encounter while driving overseas.
The text alerts will cover countries where the international driver's license is valid, required documents and precautions for driving in each country, and key traffic regulations by country.
Kim Jong-cheol, acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, said the service "will serve as a good example of a citizen-tailored public safety service that goes beyond simply issuing international driver's licenses to proactively providing country-specific driving precautions." He added that the agency would "continue to identify and improve license administration services that meet the public's expectations."
arin@heraldcorp.com
