The Ministry of Information and Communication said on Wednesday that the country's top two Internet portal operators should implement a new identity verification system on Thursday, before the system is applied to a total of 35 online service providers by July 27.

The Restricted Verification Process obliges users to verify themselves with their names and resident registration numbers before leaving comments.

Other Internet portals will be obliged to implement the system by the beginning of July, and online media providers will have to use it by the end of July.

The ministry said, "If all 35 sites started the verification process on July 27 when the new Information and Communications Law goes into effect, it would result in confusion, so we have decided to start the process gradually."

Companies using the verification process will be required to ask users who want to leave comments to verify themselves. Even users who have already signed up with online service companies will be asked to verify themselves again after Thursday. Once verified, they can leave comments using their IDs and nicknames as before.

(englishnews@chosun.com )