Starting tomorrow, July 6, identity verification procedures for activating a mobile phone or switching carriers will be strengthened.

The Ministry of Science and ICT has mandated that, in addition to existing ID card verification, customers must now undergo an additional authentication step during new subscriptions and mobile number portability processes. Customers can choose between facial recognition, a mobile ID, or a copy of their resident registration abstract.

The government stated that it expects these measures to help prevent identity theft crimes, adding that facial recognition data will not be stored as original images and will be destroyed immediately after verification.