South Korea to enable blockchain-powered vaccine passports

The South Korean government is looking to use blockchain technology to track its vaccine passports.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced the upcoming launch of a blockchain-based vaccine certificate on Thursday. The actual implementation is expected to go live later this month via a smartphone app.

Sye-kyun opined that the move would benefit citizens at home during a daily inter-agency pandemic response meeting.

The introduction of a vaccine passport or ‘Green Pass’ will only allow those who have been vaccinated to experience the recovery to their daily lives.

The app was developed using blockchain tech primarily to provide security against identity theft cases. Chung noted that "[solutions] in other countries also do not store personal information while allowing the verification of vaccination statuses."

South Korea is joining a growing list of countries that are exploring blockchain solutions to the ongoing global pandemic. Brazil early deployed a blockchain-based system to track vaccinations. China is also on the list, and the European Union plans to rollout vaccine passports in June.

So far, about 77,000 people have been received the COVID-19 vaccine in South Korea. Yesterday the country recorded 551 new cases. The government hopes to reach 12 million people by June.

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