Korea’s telecom giants launch QR ID verification campaign

A national drive has kicked off in South Korea to kick out scammy digital IDs. The major telecom operators SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus have jointly launched a nationwide campaign to promote secure QR verification for PASS mobile ID cards.

The campaign is aimed at curbing rising cases of forged or altered digital IDs. The campaign – “QR Once, Double Peace of Mind!” – runs through October 5. PASS is a digital identity app developed by South Korean telecom providers that enables identity authentication services via mobile driver’s licenses and resident identity cards.

It encourages customers to use the PASS app’s QR verification feature instead of solely relying on visual inspection. The system incorporates multiple safeguards like dynamic images, capture prevention, activation checks and time‑limited verification to prevent tampering.

Participants who use the QR feature during the campaign can enter a prize draw. A total of 2,076 winners will be selected, with prizes ranging from Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 smartphones and Dyson Airwrap stylers to Ray‑Ban Meta smart glasses, food vouchers, and coffee coupons.

The three carriers said the initiative is designed to build a culture of safe ID verification and raise awareness of penalties under the Road Traffic Act for ID forgery. “We hope this campaign helps establish a culture of confirming identity via QR verification without concerns over forged or altered IDs,” the companies said.

The joint effort echoes increasing concern over fraudulent apps and synthetic images used to impersonate mobile IDs, and highlights the telecom sector’s role in strengthening digital identity security.

SK Telecom, KT, LG Uplus and other telecom companies are collaborating to drive use cases for PASS, having brought the tech to more than 3,600 community service centers last year. A hospital at Yonsei University in Seoul was the first in Korea to use the system in 2025.

There are potential use cases in policing, elections and domestic airline boarding procedures, as well as for identity and age verification in convenience stores, movie theaters and car rental outfits. The service has more than 10 million subscribers.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  ID verification  |  QR code  |  SK Telecom  |  South Korea  |  telecom