Seoul: South Korea will mandate facial recognition for people opening new mobile phone numbers as part of efforts to combat illegally registered handsets used in scams, the science ministry announced Friday. This new requirement aims to prevent identity theft during the activation of new numbers.

According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea will require the country's three major mobile carriers-SK Telecom Co., KT Corp., and LG Uplus Inc.-as well as mobile virtual network operators, to implement this additional verification step. The initiative follows a set of comprehensive measures unveiled in August to fight voice phishing scams, which include stricter penalties for mobile carriers that fail to implement adequate preventive measures.

The ministry stated that by comparing the photo on an identification card with the holder's actual face in real-time, the activation of phones under false names using stolen or fabricated IDs can be fully prevented. The ministry also noted that scammers would face increased challenges in activating new phones using data obtained from hacking attacks.

The policy is set to be officially implemented in March 2026, with a trial run scheduled to begin next week. The number of reported voice phishing scams reached 21,588 as of November this year, with damages totaling 1.13 trillion won (US$760 million), surpassing the 1 trillion-won mark for the first time, the ministry added, citing a report from the police agency.