Fujitsu’s PalmSecure Brings Biometric Authentication to Korean Airports

Domestic travelers in South Korea will soon be able to board planes with a simple wave of the hand now that Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) has deployed Fujitu’s PalmSecure palm vein authentication system at airports across the country.

To use the system, passengers first need to register their palm at the airport. The system links their biometric data to their citizen ID number. Contactless palm readers then allow them to confirm their identity and pass through security checkpoints without having to show their citizen ID card, which was previously mandatory for all travelers.

The system is intended to make the boarding process more efficient and reduce congestion at Korean airports. Passengers will still need to make sure their citizen ID number matches the name on their ticket, but the automated security gates should reduce wait times now that identity card checks no longer have to be done by hand.

The news speaks to Fujitsu’s successful effort to expand the applications of its palm vein technology, which has targeted everything from naked payments to password-free authentication. It is also in keeping with the broader trend towards biometric screening in airports around the world.   

The KAC manages 14 domestic airports, all of which are now equipped with palm vein readers, though only eight have registration stations. The PalmSecure system was launched on December 28, 2018, and has already been used more than 1 million times and registered more than 160,000 individual travelers.

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March 28, 2019 – by Eric Weiss