By Lee Hyo-sik
Incheon International Airport is considering introducing a system capable of verifying the identities of travelers through facial recognition early next year in a bid to quicken the immigration process.
The operator of Korea’s main gateway said Wednesday that it is currently working on minimizing the error rate of the facial recognition system, adding if the ongoing trial operation goes well, the latest technology will likely be introduced within the first half of 2012.
“We are actively thinking about adding the facial recognition technology to the to-be-installed auto-gates next year. But we have not made a final decision yet,” said an official of Incheon International Airport Corp.
Under the envisioned system, travelers scan their passport photos at an unmanned auto-gate.
Then, the facial recognition software compares passport photos with those taken on the spot to check whether they are the same individuals.
“We are currently trying to bring an error rate down. We are positive that systemic errors will be addressed by the year’s end. If the system is put into operation, we expect lines at immigration checkpoints to be much shorter,” said the official.
He said the airport plans to set up 14 unmanned auto-gates equipped with the latest technology next year, adding the airport’s immigration office is also positive about the implementation.
Last summer, Incheon Airport, along with three other airports operating international flights, introduced full body scanners, despite concerns over possible invasions of privacy.
The airport said about a dozen individuals on average are subject to the screening each day, adding that it scans passengers suspected of posing a threat to other travelers and airplanes, and those who are blacklisted or did not pass the initial security procedure.
Those who refuse to undergo the body scanning can instead choose to be searched manually by immigration officers.