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Agreement removes step in Korean, Idaho driver's license process

ITD, Republic of Korea sign reciprocal agreement Friday

If you can drive a car in densely populated Korea you can drive in the open range of Idaho. And vice versa.

Recognizing the common skills required to operate a motor vehicle, Idaho and the Republic of Korea signed a reciprocal agreement Friday (April 6), eliminating the need for a new road (skills) test to obtain a driver’s license.

Koreans who hold a valid license in their home country can obtain an Idaho driver’s license after taking the knowledge test and meeting other normal requirements. They would not have to get behind the wheel to demonstrate their driving ability.

The same holds true for Idahoans who live or work in Korea; their Idaho driver’s license would exempt them from the road test in Korea.

ITD’s Division of Motor Vehicles Administrator Alan Frew joined Korean Consul General Young Wan Song for the formal signing ceremony.

Deputy Director Scott Stokes, who presided over the event, added a personal perspective to the reciprocal agreement. His son and daughter (Steve and Jaquel) live in South Korea where Steve teaches English. Shortly after the couple arrived, he produced a You Tube documentary about how to obtain a Korean license.

The task would be even simpler today under the new agreement.

Korea joins Germany as the only countries with which Idaho has signed a formal agreement waiving the road test. In contrast, Idaho now is among nearly a dozen states that share a reciprocal agreement with Korea.

They are important tools in fostering economic opportunity through the recently free trade agreement, Consul Gen. Song said. It will help strengthen economic and business relationships.

“The agreement we are signing will greatly facilitate the movement of people,” he said.

Korea is one of Idaho’s top trading partners,” said Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter. “This agreement is another step in making it easier for Idahoans and Koreans to trade and invest in one another.”

The Republic of Korea is Idaho’s fifth-largest export market. In 2011, Idaho exported more than $531 million in goods to Korea, a nearly 6-percent increase over the previous year.

Although the Korean peninsula is similar to Idaho in size, (88,270 vs. 83,557 square miles), the Republic of Korea has more than five times the population at almost 50 million residents.

The Darrell V Manning Auditorium was appropriately attired with U.S., Idaho and Republic of Korea flags for the special ceremony. After signing two copies of the document, Frew presented Consul Gen. Song with a clock made of a framed Idaho license plate.

Click here for a video of the ceremony
Click here to see the “how-to” video produced by Scott Stokes’ son

Photos: (Top) Alan Frew, Idaho Transportation Department Division of Motor Vehicles Administrator, and Young Wan Song, Consul General of the Republic of Korea, sign the driver’s license reciprocity agreement. (Middle left) Young Wan Song, Consul General of the Republic of Korea, shares a few words about the importance of the agreement. (Middle right) Alan Frew presents Young Wan Song a gift of an Idaho license plate clock. (Bottom) Dignitaries pose for a group shot at the conclusion of the signing ceremony.