On July 8, at the LG Uplus Namdaemun store in Seoul, I activated my smartphone camera to experience the facial recognition process firsthand. Following the on-screen instructions, I moved my head side to side, and within 10 seconds, my identity was confirmed. Despite wearing glasses, the facial recognition system had no issues.
Oh Hyung-il, head of the Customer PI team at LG Uplus, explained, "The system measures the distance between both eyes, allowing customers who wear glasses to authenticate without difficulty."
However, the non-face-to-face activation process was more stringent. To prevent circumvention through photos or video calls, users were required to blink as part of the verification process. This method imposed stricter standards than face-to-face verification.
Oh stated, "The recognition criteria are not arbitrarily adjusted by the telecom companies but are applied according to standards set by the system operator. Non-face-to-face verification must enhance security to eliminate the possibility of fraudulent activations."
On June 30, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced a comprehensive plan to prevent mobile phone fraud. Since July 6, the three major telecom companies (SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus) and budget mobile operators have implemented facial recognition for both face-to-face and non-face-to-face activations.
There was a six-month pilot period before the system's introduction. According to LG Uplus, the government verified the feasibility of the system at 308 leading stores of the three major telecom companies during this pilot phase, and security checks were conducted through specialized information protection agencies.
LG Uplus has also continuously improved the system by addressing issues that arose in real-world settings. Oh noted, "We have consistently gathered data on errors caused by lighting or glasses and worked with the system operator to enhance the system. Currently, the success rate in the field has stabilized at a reliable level."
The Ministry of Science and ICT explained that the facial recognition process does not store original facial images but compares facial features and immediately discards related information. Oh emphasized, "Telecom companies do not collect or verify facial data. Verification occurs through a certification system jointly established by the three telecom companies via QR codes, and we only receive the authentication results."
If facial recognition temporarily fails, users can still verify their identity using alternative methods, such as mobile identification or resident registration documents. The Ministry plans to expand alternative verification methods starting in August and introduce a system to automatically check for alterations in resident registration documents by September.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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