Korea Information Certificate Authority

What Korea Information Certificate Authority does

Korea Information Certificate Authority (KICA, 한국정보인증) is South Korea's first government-designated public certification authority, established in 1999 and listed on KOSDAQ (ticker 053800) since March 2019 as part of the Daoukiwoom Group. KICA operates a comprehensive digital trust and authentication platform built on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), offering electronic signature certificates (공동인증서), SSL certificates via SECTIGO partnership, multi-factor authentication solutions including the GrippinTower 2FA platform and financial OTP products, biometric/FIDO authentication, and the SaaS-based electronic contract service SignOK.

The company's product portfolio spans five interconnected categories: certificate-based authentication services, financial-sector OTP holding 80% domestic market share, SSL certificates with #1 domestic and global market share, the KICA Certificate issuance service deployed across 210+ universities and medical institutions, and the blockchain-based SignOK electronic contract platform. Core customers include financial institutions (achieving 80% market share in financial electronic transaction OTP), government agencies (Government24 platform), universities (Seoul National, Yonsei, Korea University), and healthcare providers for electronic medical signatures.

Revenue is generated through subscription/recurring certificate lifecycle management fees, hardware sales of OTP tokens, transaction-based fees for certificate issuance services, and SaaS subscriptions for electronic contracts. Distribution operates through direct enterprise sales, 3,000+ Korea Post offices and IBK bank branches as Registration Authority channels, and self-service online/mobile platforms. The company employs 222 people, holds a consolidated total asset base of 422.4 billion KRW, and reported consolidated revenue of 138.5 billion KRW in 2025 (up from 121.9 billion KRW in 2024).

Name

Korea Information Certificate Authority

Legal name

한국정보인증 주식회사

Website

https://kica.co.kr

Company type

Public

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Korea Information Certificate Authority (KICA) is a KOSDAQ-listed digital trust provider offering PKI certificates, SSL, OTP/2FA, biometric authentication, and electronic contract services to financial institutions, government agencies, universities, and healthcare providers in Korea.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Identity and Authentication Services

NAICS

Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621)

akta.pro primary industry

Device Identity & Certificate-Based Authentication (PKI) (BPAMAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Standards, Metrology & Accreditation Bodies (BPAIAOAC), International/Transnational Accreditation & Recognition Bodies (EDADACAG)

Keywords

• Digital certificate authority
• PKI authentication services
• Electronic signature solutions
• Electronic contract platform
• Identity verification services

Headquarters

HQ city

Seongnam

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Authentication/Certificate Services: Revenue from issuing and managing electronic certificates including common certificates, PKI certificates, and SSL certificates. Core business generating recurring revenue from certificate lifecycle management.
2. OTP and 2FA Solutions: Hardware and software OTP tokens and secondary authentication platform sales. 80% market share in financial sector OTP market for electronic transactions.
3. Electronic Contract Service (SignOK): SaaS-based electronic contract platform enabling contract preparation, signing, storage, and management. B2B features include bulk sending, API integration, and official document delivery.
4. Certificate Issuance Service (KICA증명): Online and mobile certificate issuance service for universities and medical institutions. Convenient certificate delivery to designated recipients.

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Korea Information Certificate Authority (KICA) is Korea's first government-designated certification authority, providing PKI-based digital certificates, multi-factor authentication solutions, SSL certificates, electronic contract services (SignOK), and certificate issuance platforms for universities and medical institutions. The company delivers authentication, electronic signature, OTP/2FA, biometric (FIDO), and electronic document workflow products to financial institutions, enterprises, government agencies, universities, and healthcare providers, with 80% market share in Korea's financial OTP market.

Product overview

Korea Information Certificate Authority (KICA) operates as Korea's first certification authority established in 1999, offering a comprehensive digital trust and authentication platform. The portfolio centers on five core service categories: (1) Authentication/Certificate Services including 공동인증서 (Common Certificate) as the foundational PKI-based electronic signature service, alongside 통합인증서비스, 생체인증서비스, and PKI인증 products; (2) SSL/TLS Certificates through SECTIGO partnership; (3) 2FA/OTP Solutions featuring GrippinTower (GT) and 금융 OTP products holding dominant market share in financial sectors; (4) Certificate Issuance Services via KICA증명 for universities (210+ institutions) and medical organizations; and (5) Electronic Contract Services through 싸인오케이 (SignOK) as a SaaS platform. The products operate as an integrated ecosystem where authentication certificates enable secure transactions across government, banking, healthcare, and enterprise applications, with recent expansion into mobile identity and biometric authentication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 싸인오케이 (SignOK): SaaS-based electronic contract service enabling contactless contract preparation, signing, storage and management from anywhere. Supports email, KakaoTalk, and link (URL) contract signing with bulk sending, link signing, custom branding, API integration, and official document transmission features for enterprise customers.
• KICA증명
• GrippinTower (GT)
• SecuKit Cert
• KICASign+
• SecuTaxNXS
• KICAXML
• 리드노드 (ReadNode)

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 million sheets of paper saved annually, equivalent to ~100 tons carbon emission reduction, 170 trees saved, 250,000 liters water saved
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Digital ZonecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 May 2024Merger with Digital Zone, ranked #1 in internet certificate issuance services, in May 2024.
• Korea Mint and Security Printing CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2022Selected as trusted operating organization for mobile driver's license service. ICT regulatory sandbox temporary approval received in 2020.
• LG PaysecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2017Provision of fingerprint-based biometric authentication service for LG Pay platform.
• Samsung ElectronicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2015Joint development of Samsung Pay FIDO authentication service. First domestic FIDO authentication commercialization partnership.
• SECTIGOcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2013Global CA company partnership for SSL certificate distribution. SECTIGO partnership enables domestic and global SSL certificate services. KICA has achieved domestic-only standard Webtrust RA certification as a result of this partnership.
• Korea Post (우정사업본부/우체국)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2009RA (Registration Authority) contract with 3,000+ post offices nationwide for face-to-face certificate application services.
• KB Bank, IBK, Woori BankcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2007Bank RA contracts for certificate registration agency services at bank branches.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Entrust: Global PKI, TLS/SSL, and identity verification vendor serving enterprises and governments. Comparable to KICA in multi-modal authentication (PKI + biometric + PIV) and competes for global government and financial customers.
• DigiCert: Global leader in TLS/SSL and PKI certificates. Competes with KICA/SECTIGO in the global SSL market and represents a much larger incumbent in the certificate authority space where KICA claims #1 domestic share.
• DocuSign: Global SaaS leader in electronic signatures and contract lifecycle management. Direct global benchmark for KICA's SignOK SaaS contract service and a much larger incumbent in the same product category.

Direct peers

• NICE Information & Communication (나이스정보통신): Major Korean digital identity and authentication player offering PKI, OTP, and identity verification services. Competes with KICA in financial 2FA and is a designated national certificate authority, making it the closest comparable in the Korean market.
• Sectigo (formerly Comodo CA): Global commercial CA and SSL/PKI provider that is both KICA's distribution partner (since 2013) and a competitor in the global SSL/TLS market. Comparable in technology stack and product line to KICA's SSL certificate business.
• CrossCert (크로스인증): Direct domestic competitor in Korean PKI certificate issuance and digital signature services. Competes head-to-head with KICA's 공동인증서 offerings in government24, banking, and securities use cases.
• Korea Financial Telecommunications & Clearings Institute (KFTC, 금융결제원): Public-sector financial clearing and authentication infrastructure provider in Korea. Operates the open banking and financial certificate ecosystem that KICA's OTP and PKI services plug into, and is a structural counterpart in Korean financial authentication.
• Signgate (싸인게이트): Korean electronic contract and digital signature SaaS provider. Direct competitor to KICA's SignOK service and also referenced via KICA's own email domain (signgate.com), indicating close operational overlap in e-contract workflows.
• GlobalSign: Global SSL, PKI, and digital identity provider. Competes with KICA/SECTIGO in SSL and enterprise PKI, particularly relevant as KICA expands its SECTIGO-partnered SSL business globally.

Emerging players

• Kakao (카카오): Korean platform incumbent with KakaoTalk-based identity, payment, and authentication services. Increasingly a competing authentication layer for Korean consumers and a potential partner/disruptor for KICA's mobile ID and e-signature products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/korea-information-certificate-authority-inc

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Korea Information Certificate Authority