'E-documentation Use Facilitation Law' is expected to be declared as early as possible in July.

A source at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy that is working on law enaction said on April 21 that the ministry planned to finalise the bill during the final meeting on April 23 regarding 'E-documentation Use Facilitation Law' and to have public hearing on May 2. "Late June when consultation with relevant government ministries are completed, the bill will be submitted to the National Assembly to declare the law in July."

However, given the fact that the necessity of electronic documentation use is widely accepted across government agencies, 'E-documentation Use Facilitation Law' would have little difficulty in enaction but the enaction could be delayed without inter-ministerial cooperation since it requires revision of laws that affect other government agencies, said the source.

The gist of 'E-documentation Use Facilitation Law' is to replace the stipulation of making it mandatory to use paper documents, a hindrance to the spread of e-commerce, with electronic documentation. The ministry launched in January a committee comprising ten experts from the Ministry of Justice, academia, law, industry, e-signature authentication organisations to enact 'E-documentation Use Facilitation Law' and have had three rounds of meetings to prepare the bill.

Under 'E-documentation Use Facilitation Law', the stipulation of making it mandatory to use paper documentation that is stipulated under individual law would be revised. Moreover, when the stipulation of using e-documentation would be established for individual law that does not have grounds for paper documentation use.

In this regard, a source at the committee said that after reviewing existing 653 laws that make it mandatory to use paper documentation, the committee found that around 100 laws remained as hindrance to the spread of e-documentation. "The 'E-documentation Use Facilitation Law' focuses on their revision."

In the meantime, the enaction of 'E-documentation Use Facilitation Law' is expected to help to facilitate the domestic e-commerce. Lee Yeong-sik, a director at Korea CALS/EC Association, said that despite the environment that allowed easy use of e-documentation in e-commerce, it had not been that helpful since existing laws made it mandatory to use paper documentation and such laws remained as a hindrance to the facilitation of e-commerce. "The upcoming enaction is expected to help to facilitate the e-commerce and save companies time and money.