(1) In order to efficiently process various issuance and permission affairs, the Minister of Justice may keep documents prescribed by Decree of the Ministry of Justice, among the documents submitted by a person who intends to apply for any of the following matters, by converting them into digitized documents under Article 5(2) of the Framework Act on Electronic Documents and Transactions:
1. Issuance of visas and visa issuance certificates under Articles 8 and 9;
2. Permission for activities not covered by a status of stay under Article 20;
3. Granting of the status of stay under Article 23;
4. Permission to change a status of stay under Article 24;
5. Permission to extend the period of stay under Article 25;
6. Registration of aliens under Article 31;
7. Other matters deemed necessary by the Minister of Justice.
(2) The Minister of Justice may entrust affairs regarding conversion of documents into digitized documents under paragraph (1) (hereafter in this Article referred to as "affairs for digitization") to a person with facilities and human resources prescribed by Decree of the Ministry of Justice; provided, a consultation shall be held with the Minister of Foreign Affairs where affairs for digitization are entrusted in a foreign country.
(3) No current or former executive officer or employee of a corporation to which affairs for digitization are entrusted under paragraph (2) (hereinafter referred to as "agency for digitization") shall divulge any confidential information that he or she has learned in the course of performing his or her duties to any third person or use such information for other purposes than his or her duties.
(4) The Minister of Justice shall, when he or she keeps documents by converting them into digitized documents pursuant to paragraph (1), keep them in a file of the electronic data processing system used by the Ministry of Justice. In such cases, the details included in a file shall be deemed the same as those entered in the relevant documents.
(5) Where an agency for digitization fails to meet the standards for facilities and human resources prescribed by Decree of the Ministry of Justice under paragraph (2), the Minister of Justice may request such agency for digitization to take a corrective measure, and where it fails to comply with the request for taking a corrective measure, the Minister of Justice may revoke the entrustment of affairs for digitization. In such cases, an opportunity to state its opinions shall be provided in advance.
(6) Matters necessary for the methods of conducting affairs for digitization, the period of and procedures for entrustment and designation, and the management and supervision under paragraphs (1), (2) and (5) shall be prescribed by Decree of the Ministry of Justice.[This Article Added on Apr. 23, 2019]