What does it take for both domestic and foreign consumers to log in and buy items on Korean e-commerce sites?



The answer is “patience.”



There are about a dozen steps to go through to download security programs, set up personal authentication functions and enter personal information, and on some low-end computers this can take ages.



Furthermore, they need to agree to a long list of conditions and hand over sensitive data such as resident registration numbers before typing in their credit card numbers to make the actual purchases.



This cumbersome process legally requires downloading ActiveX by Microsoft, software that has recently become embroiled in renewed controversy.



ActiveX was introduced in the late 1990s, and embedding this so-called public authentication system only via Windows’ Internet Explorer has made Korea the “Hermit IT Kingdom,” according to some.



They argue that overregulation over such certification systems has not only hindered innovation and investment in online security but also widened the security loopholes, making the closed IT society vulnerable to hacking and data theft.





Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning Choi Mun-kee calls on public servants to devise measures to overhaul public authentication and ActiveX online systems as part of the government’s deregulatory plans last Saturday. (Yonhap)