South Korea's health insurer tightens verification of foreign-issued documents to curb fraudulent enrollment

South Korea's national health insurance authority is strengthening its document verification system to improve the accuracy and fairness of eligibility management and prevent fraudulent enrollment.

The National Health Insurance Service said it will begin operating a new document verification history management system on Wednesday.

The agency developed the system after detecting suspected cases of forged or altered foreign-issued documents submitted by some foreign nationals during the health insurance enrollment and dependent registration process.

Previously, the service had verified the authenticity of foreign-issued documents — such as family relationship certificates and marriage certificates submitted by foreign nationals — using official authentication materials including Apostille certifications, an internationally recognized system under which a competent authority in the issuing country confirms the authenticity of a public document issued abroad.

Verification had grown increasingly difficult, however, as document formats and issuance and authentication procedures vary by country and submission methods have diversified to include non-face-to-face channels.

In response, the service built the new system to supplement existing verification procedures and enable branches nationwide to systematically manage and share cases of suspected forgery or alteration and other verification findings.

When a person with a prior verification history resubmits documents, staff will check that history and re-verify authenticity. Cases identified across various submission channels will also be shared among branches nationwide for use in eligibility reviews.

"This system is designed to systematically manage document verification records and verify documents more accurately," an official at the service said. "We will continue to minimize inconvenience for enrollees while preventing fraudulent eligibility acquisition, working toward a fair and trustworthy health insurance eligibility management system."

The service also plans to continuously improve methods for verifying the authenticity of foreign-issued documents through cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and other relevant agencies. It will proactively inform applicants of the potential for civil and criminal liability arising from the submission of forged or altered documents, with the aim of raising awareness about fraudulent submissions and encouraging accurate eligibility reporting.