Gun holders no longer need plastic cards; online verification begins

The police announced Friday that they will begin a service to verify gun permit licenses online in cooperation with Naver, the nation's largest search engine, starting this month.

The service enables the online verification of licenses certified by the police for the possession of guns, swords, gas sprayers and electric shock devices, allowing for easy checks on Naver.

Previously, license holders were required to carry plastic card-type licenses issued by the police station when possessing guns and other regulated items. If these licenses were lost, license holders had to visit the police station in person and go through a wait period for the card to be reissued.

Approximately 500,000 license holders for guns, swords, gas sprayers, electronic shock devices, crossbows and explosives management and production will be permitted for online verification.

The police stated that mobile service verification is impossible to counterfeit because individuals must undergo self-verification every time they attempt to check the license.