Overview
- The trial started Tuesday and requires applicants to verify identity by scanning their face with the PASS app when obtaining a new number through SK Telecom, KT, LG Uplus or an MVNO, whether online or at retail.
- Authorities plan an official nationwide launch in March following the pilot with the three main carriers and low-cost operators.
- Regulators intend to revise the law to make carriers warn users about risks tied to illegally registered phones and to tighten oversight of retailers’ new subscriptions.
- Officials target phone-based scams enabled by fraudulent registrations, citing ministry data that MVNO channels accounted for 92% of counterfeit-phone cases in 2024.
- The move follows a year of major breaches, including SK Telecom’s exposure of data on 23 million customers that drew heavy fines and an order to compensate affected users.