Resident Identity Card (Menghe)
| Resident Identity Card 주민 등록증 | |
|---|---|
 A sample card with fictionalized citizen information. | |
| Issued by |  Menghe |
| Type of document | identity card |
| Purpose | Identification |
| Cost | Registration fee: ₩50, Replacement for lost or damaged cards: ₩100 |
The Resident Identity Card (Menghean: 주민 등록증 / 住民登錄證, Jumin Dŭngrokjŭng) is the main type of identity card used in the Socialist Republic of Menghe. All permanent residents of Menghe are required to obtain a Resident Identity Card before they turn 15, including foreign citizens entering the country for a prolonged stay. Cards are issued by the Ministry of Internal Security, and must be updated at regular intervals, or each time a person moves to a new address.
History
Menghe did not have a single universal identification card until the 1990s. The Democratic People's Republic of Menghe required citizens to possess a form of internal passport while traveling outside their prefecture of residence, though this was inconsistently enforced. General-Secretary Sim Jin-hwan introduced an identity card system in 1975, but cards were only issued to urban residents, and police only checked for cards in urban areas. Most identification and registration took place at the Commune level, where one's residence was tied to the ability to find work and obtain ration cards.
The Menghean Socialist Party first raised the possibility of issuing a standard, mandatory ID card in 1990, and in 1991 the National Assembly passed a law laying the groundwork for the Resident Identity Card system and laying out a timetable for nationwide adoption, with the card becoming mandatory for all residents on January 1st, 1995.
Regulations and issuance
All Menghean long-term residents, regardless of citizenship status, are required to obtain a Resident Identity Card before they reach the standard age of 15. Foreigners visiting Menghe on work, student, and long-stay visit visas must obtain a Resident Identity Card within 30 days of entering the country. It is possible, but not required, to obtain a Resident Identity Card between the ages of 5 and 15.
Each card is issued with an initial validity and expiration date printed on the back. Cards issued when an applicant is younger than 14 are valid for 5 years; cards issued between 14 and 30 are valid for 10 years; and cards issued over the age of 30 are valid for 20 years. The new card must use a photograph taken within the last year, but in all other respects it is identical, carrying on the same biometric information and Resident ID number. Furthermore, because the Resident Identity Card contains one's permanent address, residents are required to apply for a new card within 30 days of moving to a new address.
Resident Identity Cards are issued by the Ministry of Internal Security, and processed at the Provincial-level office of the General Directorate for Immigration and Personal Registration. Residents can either visit this office in person or submit their application at a local police station. Applicants can either submit a prepared photograph meeting the pose and background requirements or have their photograph taken during the visit.
Resident ID number
Every individual who applies for a card is assigned a permanent Resident ID number (주민 등록 번호 / 住民登錄番號, Jumin Dŭngrok Bŏnho) upon its receipt. This is a 17-digit numerical code unique to each resident, which can be traced to other data on that resident, much like a social security number. The current numbering system was created in 1991, replacing the urban-level numbering system in use before then.
The Resident ID number consists of four components:
- The first five digits indicate one's birthplace, with two digits indicating the second-level division and three digits indicating the fourth-level division. For naturalized citizens born abroad, this indicates the location where they gained Menghean citizenship, and for foreign residents it indicates the location where they registered for an ID card.
- The next six digits indicate one's date of birth, in ISO 8601 format (YYYY MM DD). Birth date is also listed separately on the card.
- The next three digits are a unique, randomly generated code used to distinguish between two individuals born on the same day in the same county-level division. Odd-numbered codes are issued to men, and even-numbered codes are issued to women.
- The final digit is a checksum used to ensure that the preceding digits have not been transcribed incorrectly.
In this way, an experienced reader or security official can determine a person's county of birth, date of birth, and sex simply by reading the information contained within the Resident ID number itself.
Types of Resident Identity Card
The Standard Resident Identity Card is issued to Menghean citizens in most of the country, and uses a blue background with all text in Menghean. Ethnic Meng names are written in Sinmun first, with the full Gomun form (if one exists) in parentheses afterward. For example, the name Kim Sŏg-wŏn would be displayed "김석원 (金錫源)," with the surname first. By law, officially registered ethnic Meng names cannot be more than five syllables long. If an individual is not ethnic Meng, they must either officially adopt a Menghean name or transcribe their name using the Sinmun alphabet; transcribed names cannot be more than ten syllables long.
Residents in one of Menghe's four Semi-Autonomous Provinces (Uzeristan, Daristan, Siyadag, and the Semi-Autonomous Province for Argentan People Living in Menghe) can register for a Minority Resident Identity Card if they are a member of that jurisdiction's main ethnic group. A Minority Resident Identity Card is similar to a Standard Resident Identity Card, but it is slightly reformatted to include translations in the local language underneath each item in Menghean. Minority Resident Identity Cards are also printed with a green background, allegedly to remind police officials in other regions that the non-standard formatting is the result of a different card type rather than an effort at counterfeiting. Notably, this option is tied to the province of residence, not to one's ethnicity; for example, an ethnic Argentan living in North Donghae cannot apply for a card with Argentan text, but an ethnic Meng living in Daristan can apply for a card with Dari text. As the cards still contain Menghean text, they are valid in all parts of the country, and Standard Resident Identity Cards are valid in all Semi-Autonomous Provinces.
Non-citizens living in Menghe use a Foreign Resident Identity Card, recognizable for its yellow background pattern. The Foreign Resident Identity Card is mandatory for certain visa types but not for others; holders of Work and Study visas, for example, are required to register within 30 days of their arrival, but holders of Tourist and Short Stay visas are exempt. Apart from its color, the Foreign Resident Identity Card also differs in allowing latin alphabet input under the "name" category, as long as it is paired with transcribed Sinmun text, and assigns Resident ID codes according to a modified formula.
Contents
The reverse side is the main side displayed during ID checks. It contains most information, including the resident's photograph. At the top is the header "주민등록증" ("Resident Identity Card"). The other information available on this side includes the following:
- Name
- Photograph
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- Date of birth
- Permanent address
- Resident ID code
- Photograph
- Nationality (indirectly; only Menghean citizens may hold a Standard (blue) or Minority (green) card).
The obverse side contains information about the card's validity, namely the branch office and officer that issued the card and the dates between which it is valid. It bears a large header with Gomun and Sinmun characters stating "Socialist Republic of Menghe," as well as the national emblem.
In addition to the information displayed on the card itself, each individual's Resident ID number is linked to a government database containing further information. This includes their occupation, religion, marital status, and Party membership, and can be linked to other personal information collected by the government. As the Resident ID number is used in a wide range of transactions and applications, many of them linked to government agencies, the full scope of the individual-level data held by the Ministry of Internal Security is not known with certainty.
Resident Identity Cards incorporate MIFARE-type technology sandwiched in between the plastic layers, allowing them to be scanned when touched to a card reader. The scanned information includes the information written on the card, and can be used to quickly process cards at security checks. In order to access additional information on a resident, the scanner must search the Resident ID number within the Ministry of Internal Security's database.
Usage and regulations
The Resident Identity Card is the primary form of identification document used in Menghe, and it is required for a number of actions, including the following:
- Voting
- Renting an apartment
- Obtaining a marriage certificate
- Obtaining a driver's license
- Opening a bank account
- Registering for a mobile phone number
- Applying for tertiary education
- Buying airplane and train tickets
- Checking in at a train station or airport
- Applying for welfare or pensions
- Applying to own a firearm
The date of birth listed on a Resident Identity Card also serves as proof of one's age when purchasing alcohol, tobacco, or other controlled products.
Contrary to popular belief, it is not legally required for Menghean residents to carry a Resident Identity Card on their person at all times, though it is required to pass through security checkpoints at airports, train stations, and certain government buildings. Law enforcement officials also rely on Resident Identity Cards to confirm the identities of witnesses at a crime scene, assess a stopped individual's criminal record and any warrants out for their arrest, and identify bodies at the scene of a crime or accident. Thus, failure to carry a card when stopped by the police may result in longer delays and extra searches.
Strict penalties do exist for falsifying information on an identity card, failing to update one's address within 30 days, and allowing a card to expire or failing to register for a card when required to do so. Menghean residents without fully honest and up-to-date resident documentation can be fined up to ₩10,000. Theft, forgery, or smuggling of Resident Identity Cards bear even harsher penalties, including up to 20 years in prison depending on the scale and severity of the offense.
Problems and criticism
With its remote connection to the Ministry of Internal Security's individual records database and its mandatory use by all residents, the Resident Identity Card plays a central role in the Menghean surveillance state, allowing law enforcement and secret police officers easy access to an individual's criminal, medical, and political records. In theory, for example, banks can use database access to deny loans to individuals with poor political histories, and the Ministry of Internal Security can keep track of a dissident's movements by recording their address and ticket purchases.
Other problems relate to identity theft. Purpose-built scanners can read MIFARE-type chips in the cards from a distance of several meters, accessing a person's card information without their knowledge or permission. The use of year and location information in the Resident ID also makes it possible to guess 13 out of 17 digits simply by knowing a person's date and location of birth. Because Resident IDs are intended to be permanent from the moment they are assigned, and are the sole form of standardized identification for Menghean nationals, it is very difficult to apply to have one's ID number changed if it is stolen or replicated by someone else. Identity theft in Menghe surged during the late 1990s and 2000s when laws preventing it were weak and the security recommendations around ID numbers were unclear to many people. The government has recently taken more stringent measures to prevent identity theft and crack down on the use of false ID numbers, but it is estimated that at least 100 million people have already had their Resident IDs leaked at some point.
Information on cards has also created some problems for transgender individuals. Under current Menghean law, an individual can apply for a new Resident Identity Card marking their sex differently, but only after they have undergone sex reassignment surgery. This option was only added in 2013, and so far there is still no option to mark sexes other than male and female. Furthermore, transgender individuals cannot change their Resident ID code, which includes a section which is odd for males and even for females. This can lead to errors in data checking or mistaken judgments that a card is counterfeit.
In 2015 the 18th NSCC requested a study on the feasibility of phasing in a Second-Generation ID Card with improved security features and compliance with ISO/IEC 14443 guidelines on readability. Under some proposals, the "Second-Generation ID Card" might also feature expanded electronic features, allowing residents to use it as a public transport pass and low-value debit card. As of 2018, the National Assembly has held a few debates on how to improve the system, but there are no current plans to phase in the Second-Generation ID Card due to the daunting financial and logistical issues of re-issuing improved cards to more than 500 million Menghean residents.