Governor Andy Beshear’s recent visit to southeast Asia came with action earlier this week, when he, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray and South Korea’s National Police Agency Commissioner General Hee-keun Yoon attended a signing ceremony in South Korea’s capital city, Seoul — with all parties formalizing a driver’s license reciprocity agreement between the two governments.
The goal: to support job growth in the Commonwealth.
This Memorandum of Understanding between South Korea’s National Police Agency (NPA) and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Division of Driver Licensing should help boost economic growth, by simplifying the process of maintaining a non-commercial driver’s license for Koreans living in Kentucky, and Kentuckians residing in Korea.
Seven Korean-owned facilities currently operate in the Commonwealth, with six others announced during this administration, meaning employment by Korean operations will soon be north of 6,700 people statewide.
This MOU allows individuals ages 18 and older, lawfully residing in Kentucky, to exchange a valid Korean driver’s license for a Kentucky Class D Operator’s License upon meeting all first-time statutory license requirements – except road and written testing – at Driver Licensing Regional Offices and paying requisite fees.
Similarly, the NPA will permit eligible Kentucky residents in Korea to exchange their Class D Operator’s License for a Korean Class 2 Ordinary Driver’s License.
Both sides maintain the right to require additional documentation or tests if there are concerns about an applicant’s ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.
