Forget the passport, your face is all you need in Korea

Neither passports nor boarding passes are needed here. Forget the long queues, you can get past the departure gate in just 10 seconds.

A customer enters the boarding gate area at an airport using the Smart Pass service on Tuesday afternoon. The Smart Pass service allows passengers to enter the boarding gate by scanning their faces. [SARAH CHEA]

INCHEON — The line at the departure gate in Incheon International Airport was bustling with hundreds of people lined up with their passports and boarding passes in hand Tuesday afternoon, waiting for what could be one hour or so just to begin their security screening.

One group of travelers slipped into the fast-track line, bypassing all the rows and queues, and began their security screening after only a brief pause for a quick scan of their faces.

The whole process took less than 10 seconds, and they didn't have their passports or boarding passes out.

The only difference between the two groups was that the latter registered their face and personal information to get access to the new Smart Pass service.

An Incheon International Airport employee demonstrates the Smart Pass service on July 10. The Smart Pass service allows passengers to enter the boarding gate by scanning their faces. [YONHAP]

The Smart Pass service, which became available on July 27, allows passengers to begin the passenger security check without a one-on-one identity inspection by airport officials.

The facial recognition machine automatically checks a person's identity and boarding passes when they stand in front of it, and then lets them enter. It generally reduces the boarding procedure time by up to 40 percent, according to the airport.

"I was able to get past the departure gate in literally less than 3 seconds," said Lee Moon-sook, a woman in her 50s who recently traveled to Japan using the Smart Pass service. "I arrived at the airport just 40 minutes before departure due to the traffic, but I was able to make it on the plane on time."

To utilize the system, travelers need to register their faces on the ICN Smartpass mobile app or via the airport's self-check-in kiosks at least 30 minutes before their scheduled departure. The entire registration process takes less than 10 minutes.

The Smart Pass queue area is nearly empty at the Incheon International Airport Tuesday afternoon. [SARAH CHEA]

Both Koreans and foreign nationals can use the service. The registered facial recognition information remains valid for five years from the date of registration.

"Some major airports in developed countries like the United States have already implemented the service, but what distinguishes Incheon International Airport with them is that we maximized passengers' convenience and let them input their information through an app," Lim Jun-hwan, director at the fast travel team at Incheon International Airport, said.

"It is faster, and also increases safety dramatically, as the facial recognition system is able to recognize 512 different features of each person's face," Lim said. "It is free from falsification or duplication — even more accurate than humans checking them one by one."

A customer enters the boarding gate using the Smart Pass service on July 10. The Smart Pass service allows passengers to enter the boarding gate by scanning their faces. [YONHAP]

The service is available at all six departure gates and 16 boarding gates at Incheon Airport. The usage of the service is currently limited to passengers who travel with Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, Jin Air, T-way Air and Delta Air Lines.

The full implementation of the system across all facilities at Incheon Airport is scheduled for April 2025.

"Physical passports and boarding passes are still mandatory for immigration checks conducted by the Ministry of Justice."

A total of 140,811 people have already registered for the service as of Aug. 31. Around 1,300 travelers use the Smart Pass every day, with around 3 percent of them being foreign nationals.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]