North Korean mobile service apps rely on facial recognition

North Korean citizens are required to submit face biometrics to subscribe to mobile services through the official apps of North Korean mobile carriers.

A rare look into smartphone apps operated by the country’s two mobile networks, Kangsong and Koryolink, shows that users must submit a facial photo alongside personal information to access services such as managing subscriptions, balance checks, missed calls, fund transfers and more.

Users of the Kangsong Mobile Communications app can also access officially sanctioned multimedia and websites. This includes the North Korean intranet web browser Naenara, e-commerce site Manmulsan and the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the official paper of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, according to Daily North Korea.

The North Korean government holds a tight grip over online services which are heavily censored and highly regulated. The country operates an isolated national intranet service known as the Kwangmyong which is available only to a limited number of people.

Although the regime has restricted the use of cell phones at certain periods in the past, access to mobile telecommunication in North Korea is rising.

In 2022, the country of roughly 24 million people was estimated to have between 6.5 and seven million cellular subscribers, data from the Korea Institute for National Unification shows. Between 50 and 80 percent of the adult population owns a smartphone, according to assessments from foreign affairs think tank The Stimson Centre. More North Koreans are using online payment apps and offline payments through QR codes.

In December 2023, North Korea started accepting subscribers to the country’s new 4G cellular network, years after the rest of the world.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  mobile app  |  North Korea  |  telecom