Stricter Mobile Phone Activation Procedures to Take Effect Tomorrow; Facial Recognition Introduced

Starting July 6, enhanced identity verification procedures, including facial recognition, will be implemented across all mobile carrier and budget phone channels for new mobile phone activations or carrier switches.
According to the Ministry of Science and ICT on July 5, the three major mobile carriers and budget phone operators will enforce stricter identity verification protocols than the existing ID card checks across all channels, including offline agencies, retail stores, and online platforms, beginning July 6.
This measure is designed to prevent illegal mobile phone activations through identity theft, thereby curbing public crimes such as the use of burner phones and voice phishing.
The government has decided to expand the system, which has been in a pilot phase since the end of last year, to all channels.
Consequently, applicants for new subscriptions or number portability must choose one of the following methods to verify their identity: facial recognition, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's mobile ID app, or a resident registration abstract issued on the same day.
Device changes, where a user switches only the handset within the same carrier, are not subject to these requirements.
Initially, the government intended to make facial recognition mandatory. However, following recommendations from the Personal Information Protection Commission and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea to ensure user choice due to the sensitivity of facial data, the plan was revised to a multi-factor authentication system.
The government expects that by blocking identity theft at the activation stage, the measure will be effective in reducing crimes such as the distribution of burner phones and voice phishing, especially as mobile phones are widely used as a means of identity verification for financial transactions and various online services.
Regarding concerns over the leakage of facial data, the Ministry of Science and ICT stated that it does not store the original images of facial data and destroys them immediately after comparison.
The ministry explained that no vulnerabilities were found during the pilot operation and security inspections conducted by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA).
However, some point out that the accuracy of facial recognition may decrease with outdated ID photos, and user inconvenience may be inevitable in the event of system errors.
Starting with this measure, the government plans to continuously supplement the system to prevent fraudulent mobile phone activations.
The government intends to enhance the reliability of the mobile phone activation process by introducing additional identity verification methods, linking systems to verify the authenticity of resident registration abstracts, and revising relevant laws, while also strengthening the management of distribution networks involved in fraudulent activations.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.