Korea expands airport check-ins with palm vein biometrics, enrollment to bank branches

The South Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute (KFTC) has entered a business agreement with nine financial corporations and the Korea Airports Corporation to bring its new biometric check-in system to 14 gateways across the country.

First announced in May 2021, the pilot programs showed that using biometrics substantially reduced check-in times, with luggage check-in to passenger identification processes taking only five to six minutes.

The new agreement will now enable passengers to register for the palm vein biometrics system at a bank branch before arriving at the airport, unlike the previous deal, which saw them registering upon arrival.

Just like in the original pilot, after registering their biometrics, passengers will be able to travel without having to present passports or other traditional IDs.

According to The Korea Herald, which reported on the new agreement, the nine firms participating in it are KB Kookmin, Woori, Shinhan, NH NongHyup, DGB Daegu Bank, Hana, local agricultural and livestock cooperatives, Saemaeul Geumgo, and the National Credit Union Federation. KFTC is a non-profit institution tasked with supporting the country’s financial information network.

The biometric registration service is currently available only to Korean citizens holding bank accounts with the financial firms that signed the agreement.

According to the KFTC, the country’s total number of citizens using biometrics for financial services is currently around six million.

The new contract comes amidst a push for digitalization in South Korea. Last month, for instance, the global business expansion accelerator Born2Global (operated by the Ministry of Science and ICT) selected Winning.I to support the growth of its mobile contactless biometrics.

Article Topics

airports  |  biometrics  |  identity verification  |  palm biometrics  |  palm vein  |  passenger processing  |  South Korea