Ministry of Foreign Affairs Parents and legal guardians in South Korea and overseas can apply online to renew passports for children under 18 starting Friday, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.The online passport renewal service is currently available through the Government24 portal and the Overseas Koreans 365 Civil Service Portal, but only for Korean nationals 18 and older. Minors had been excluded because of difficulties in verifying the status of their legal representatives.The ministry said it worked with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Overseas Koreans Agency to expand the system so that legal guardians can submit renewal applications on behalf of minors through the two online platforms.In some cases, however, applicants will still be required to visit a passport office or overseas diplomatic mission in person. These include cases that require officials to verify parental rights, guardianship arrangements or other legal representative status.The Foreign Ministry said the expanded service is expected to benefit about 70,000 households with minors each year.The ministry added that the change would be particularly helpful for Korean nationals living overseas, many of whom have had to take time off work and travel long distances to visit diplomatic missions in person to renew their children’s passports.