Korea Digital Certification Association

What Korea Digital Certification Association does

Korea Digital Certification Association (한국디지털인증협회), operating as OpenDID and previously known as DID Alliance Korea, is a non-profit incorporated association (사단법인) founded on July 24, 2019 and headquartered in Seoul. Its mission is to establish digital identity certification technology standards centered on Open DID and to build and operate cross-national digital identity networks. The association operates through community-led growth across three working groups (Governance, Technical, Cooperation) and serves as the coordinating body for an ecosystem of 60-plus member companies spanning Korean banks, card issuers, payment platforms, IT vendors, and government agencies.

The core platform is Open DID, a decentralized identity (DID) standard built on blockchain technology that enables self-sovereign identity management, allowing users to control their digital credentials without reliance on centralized authorities. Underlying implementations include OmniOne, a DID platform developed by founding member RaonSecure combining FIDO biometric authentication with blockchain-anchored identity and supporting simplified authentication, identity verification, credential verification, and IoT identity (IDoT). GADI (Global Association for Digital Identity) provides the international interoperability framework enabling cross-ledger transactions between different DID platforms. Notable deployments include Korea's first blockchain-based simplified authentication service at the Military Manpower Administration (January 2020), the mobile civil servant ID card system under Korea's Digital New Deal (July 2020), and the OmniOne TestNet (February 2020).

As a non-profit association, the organization does not sell products directly. Distribution is enabled through Open DID standards and implementation guidelines consumed by member companies, with revenue derived from undisclosed membership dues, events (SecuUp seminars, hackathons), and government collaboration. Marketing and community engagement are conducted through opendid.org, the Open DID Community developer platform, a YouTube channel, and industry events. The association does not disclose financial figures, headcount, or membership pricing, and there is no evidence of venture, private equity, or parent-company ownership.

Name

Korea Digital Certification Association

Legal name

(사)한국디지털인증협회

Website

https://opendid.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Korea Digital Certification Association (OpenDID) is a Seoul-based non-profit industry association founded in 2019 that develops and standardizes the Open DID blockchain-based decentralized identity framework for Korean financial institutions, government agencies, technology vendors, and their end users.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Identity Standards

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Decentralized Identity (DID) & Verifiable Credentials (BPAMAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Device Identity & Certificate-Based Authentication (PKI) (BPAMAEAL), Identity Verification (ID, SSN Trace, KYC-lite) (BPACALAD)

Keywords

• Decentralized identity
• Blockchain authentication
• Digital identity standards
• Self-sovereign identity
• Identity verification

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Korea Digital Certification Association is a non-profit industry association that develops and promotes the Open DID standard for blockchain-based decentralized identity (DID). It coordinates a member ecosystem of 60+ financial institutions, IT companies, and government agencies, operates the Open DID Community developer platform, and drives cross-border interoperability through the GADI framework. Its Blockchain Simplified Authentication service has been deployed with public institutions including the Military Manpower Administration.

Product overview

The Korea Digital Certification Association operates Open DID as its core decentralized identity platform ecosystem. The primary offerings include Open DID (the main platform), OmniOne (the underlying DID technology developed with member RaonSecure), GADI (the international standardization framework), and Blockchain Simplified Authentication services. The ecosystem enables self-sovereign identity management where users control their digital credentials through mobile apps using biometric authentication, with services deployed across government (e.g., Military Manpower Administration, mobile civil servant ID) and financial institutions. The association also supports developer engagement through its community platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Open DID: Open DID based digital identity technology standard platform focused on Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) and decentralized identity verification.

Products and services

• Open DID Platform Core decentralized identity (DID) platform and ecosystem established by the Korea Digital Certification Association, enabling self-sovereign identity management using blockchain technology so users can control their digital credentials without relying on centralized authorities.
• OmniOne (옴니원) DID platform developed by member RaonSecure that provides FIDO biometric authentication combined with blockchain-based decentralized identity, supporting simplified authentication, identity verification, credential verification, and IoT identity (IDoT) services.
• GADI (Global Association for Digital Identity) International standard framework for digital identity that enables cross-platform interoperability between different DID systems and alliances globally, developed by DID Alliance to serve as the foundational architecture for worldwide digital identity standards.
• Blockchain Simplified Authentication Service (블록체인 간편인증) Blockchain-based authentication service that eliminates the need for traditional digital certificates, enabling users to authenticate using mobile apps with biometric verification for convenient and secure access to government and private sector services.
• Open DID Community Platform Online developer community platform (opendid.omnione.net/community) providing resources for developers to participate in the Open DID ecosystem, including open source community access, contributor/committer programs, and developer internship programs.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 라온시큐어 (RaonSecure)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2019Founding member of DID Alliance, developed the OmniOne DID platform used by the association's ecosystem. Represented by Lee Soon-hyung, co-founder of DID Alliance.
• 금융결제원 (Korea Financial Computer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey founding member leading the financial sector DID consortium with participation from 26+ financial institutions.
• 한국전자서명포럼 (Korea Electronic Signature Forum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding organization representing electronic signature industry, contributing to DID standards development.
• 한국FIDO산업포럼 (Korea FIDO Industry Forum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding organization contributing expertise in biometric authentication integrated with DID technology.
• Sovrin FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal blockchain identity foundation providing the Sovrin Network for DID anchoring and interoperability with OmniOne platform.
• 라메시 케사누팔리 (Ramesh Kesanupalli)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of DID Alliance and founder of FIDO Alliance, bringing global standards expertise in digital identity and authentication.
• FIDO AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal online authentication standards organization with 250+ member companies including Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and Samsung Electronics.
• Global DID Alliance PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIncludes identity.com, Civic, CLEAR, Hitachi, NEC, E3 Services, Sensory, Badge Biometrics, OnFido, MobileIron, Feitian, PRIVO, Digital Trust, NokNok Labs, DSCI (India), Government of Jersey, and others from US, France, Germany, Switzerland, India, Japan, and China.
• KISA (한국인터넷진흥원)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKorean Internet & Security Agency providing blockchain technology trend analysis and supporting digital identity standards development.
• 행정안전부 (Ministry of the Interior and Safety)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry driving mobile digital ID initiatives, including mobile civil servant ID, driver's license digitization, and welfare card digitalization.
• 과학기술정보통신부 (Ministry of Science and ICT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry supporting DID-related projects and blockchain promotion initiatives including the 2019 Blockchain Promotion Week.
• 국민권익위원회 (Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment commission supporting citizen-focused digital identity initiatives and privacy protection.
• 국세청 (National Tax Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency using DID for tax-related digital identity verification.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Open Identity Exchange (OIX): Non-profit technology-agnostic identity policy and trust framework organization, comparable in role as an identity-standards convener for governments and enterprises.
• Kantara Initiative: Non-profit industry forum developing digital identity and privacy frameworks with similar working-group structure (governance, technical, cooperation) to Open DID.
• Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF): Industry consortium advancing open standards for decentralized identity, with overlapping member companies (Microsoft, IBM, NEC) and a parallel standards-development mission to Open DID.
• Sovrin Foundation: Non-profit stewarding the Sovrin Network for self-sovereign identity; already a partner of Korea Digital Certification Association and one of the most direct competitors in the DID standards space.
• Trust over IP Foundation (Linux Foundation): Hosts a multi-stack digital trust framework that overlaps heavily with Open DID's GADI mission of interoperable verifiable credentials across networks.
• MyData Global: Non-profit coalition promoting personal data management and self-sovereign identity principles across Europe and globally, with comparable consortium-led standards-building approach.

Regional players

• IDunion / IDunion e.V. German/European consortium building a production-grade DID network; comparable in approach but operating primarily in Europe rather than Asia-Pacific.
• Digital Identity & Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC): Canadian non-profit developing the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework for digital identity, a country-level consortium comparable to Korea Digital Certification Association's national role.

Broad incumbents

• FIDO Alliance: Global authentication standards body with 250+ members; a strategic partner of Korea Digital Certification Association but a broader, more established incumbent focused on passwordless authentication.
• W3C Credentials Community Group: The broader standards body where verifiable credentials and DID specifications are incubated; Open DID's GADI framework is a regional implementation of these W3C-rooted concepts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCerVZg9ZjqVjwA0jOT6Ycxw
• LinkedInopendid.omnione.net/community

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Korea Digital Certification Association