4/4/2012
ITD, Korea to sign driver's license reciprocity agreement Friday (April 6)
BOISE - Representatives of the Republic of Korea and the Idaho Transportation Department will formally sign a reciprocity agreement Friday that enables citizens of Korea and Idaho to obtain a driver’s license without taking a driving skills test.
Korean citizens still will be required to take and pass a knowledge test
to obtain an Idaho driver’s license and must meet all other driver
requirements, explains Ed Pemble, manager of Driver Services at ITD.
Young Wan Song, Consul General of the Republic of Korea, will join Division of Motor Vehicles Administrator Alan Frew for the ceremonial signing. It is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Darrell V Manning Boardroom and Auditorium at ITD’s Headquarters in Boise (3311 W. State St.). The event is open to the public.
The reciprocity memorandum with the National Police Agency of the Republic of Korea acknowledges the validity of Korean drivers licenses and eliminates the need for Korean citizens to take a highway test to drive in Idaho. Idahoans visiting or living in Korea will have the same privilege.
“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.