YouTube likely to adopt real name system for Korean users

SEOUL, March 30 (Yonhap) -- YouTube, the world's largest video-sharing Web site, will likely require South Korean users to use their real names when they register, a company official said Monday.

The move is in line with a South Korean government policy to require private
information for online users. South Korea is the only country in the world where
Internet users are required to input their name and resident registration number
to subscribe to portals.
An official at Google Korea said that Google Inc., YouTube's parent company, may
introduce a real name registration system starting in April.
"Google respects users' privacy, but it also needs to abide by local laws," said
the official. "A final decision has yet to be made. When it is made, the new
regulation will be adopted within April."
YouTube launched a Korean-language version of its service in January 2008 and has
seen a high traffic growth rate since.
South Korea's real name registration system currently applies only to Web sites
that attract more than 300,000 daily visitors. Beginning in April, it will be
expanded sites with 100,000 visitors per day.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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