Korean government deploys biometrics for improved physical access control

The Republic of Korea will be employing technologies such as an artificial intelligence (AI)-based facial recognition system and a QR code pass card in order to improve the management of access to public buildings in the country.

Korea Bizwire reported that access management will be improved in the administrative capital Sejong in order to ensure the convenience and security of public servants and visitors around public or government buildings, citing the Ministry of Interior and Security.

According to the report, the move comes after the new system was trialled in the three government buildings of the Sejong government complex.

The new system provides access control to the government buildings with facial recognition and public servant ID card checks for identification on entry, the report stated.

The new system, the Interior and Security Ministry explained, brings about changes to the process of how public servant ID cards are verified, which reduces incidents of physical contact, meeting a recommendation for one way to reduce the spread of infectious diseases.

The report adds that the Ministry is planning to deploy the application to all of the Sejong government complex based on the results of a user survey and the reduction of errors following the trial. The Ministry ran the trial in collaboration with an unnamed domestic start-up, at three buildings of the Sejong government complex, Korea Bizwire added.

Efforts to upgrade security at Korea’s government buildings have been on for a number of years, with the decision to implement biometric access control based on facial recognition coming in 2016 after a security incident at a public building.

Article Topics

access management  |  AI  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  identity verification  |  Korea