[Report] Mobile Age Verification to Wipe Away Tears of Convenience Store Part-Timers Saying "I am an Adult"

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Around 10 PM on the 23rd, I visited a CU convenience store near Hapjeong Station. When implementing a mobile age verification system through the 'Pass' app to purchase alcohol and cigarettes, a personal identification barcode was generated. Photo by Cha Min-young

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] "It's hard to distinguish between those born in 2000 or 2001 and minors, so sometimes customers get upset. Now that the convenience store POS system notifies us if someone is an 'adult,' I feel more confident working."

On the night of the 23rd, the day after the mobile adult verification system was commercialized, I visited a CU convenience store near Hapjeong Station in Seoul. CU signed a business agreement with the three major mobile carriers in April and, after system development, launched the industry's first mobile driver's license verification service on the 22nd.

After taking a bottle of Cheongha from a refrigerator in the corner of the convenience store, I headed to the counter and requested a pack of cigarettes as well, placing them on the counter. Instead of a resident registration card, I presented the 'PASS' application from the three mobile carriers. Yoojung-hoon (a pseudonym), a male part-time worker in his early 20s, said he had seen news and instructions on how to use the convenience store POS system through internal notices and was impressed. After scanning the product barcode with the scanner and then scanning the barcode on the PASS app screen, the POS screen immediately displayed the message 'Adult.'

Mr. Yoo said, "It is difficult to distinguish those who just became adults, like those born in 2001, from minors, so sometimes customers get angry or argue with staff when asked for ID. When wearing masks, we ask customers to show their faces to compare with the ID photo, but dealing with hundreds of customers a day makes it difficult to ask each one." Generally, products that minors cannot purchase in convenience stores include alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, butane gas, and some uniquely formulated condoms.

Pass app screen capture

In reality, the purchase of alcohol and tobacco by teenagers at convenience stores is a risk factor. Under the Youth Protection Act, if a convenience store sells tobacco or alcohol to minors born in 2002 or later (under 19 years old), the store owner faces mandatory business suspension even if deceived by a fake ID. However, with the recent amendment to the 'Tobacco Business Act Enforcement Rules' passed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, starting next month, tobacco retailers who sell tobacco to minors through forged, altered, or stolen IDs, or under assault or threats, may be exempt from business suspension if there was no intent or if circumstances are recognized, receiving 'non-prosecution disposition' or 'suspended sentence.' This reflects the actual situation.

The PASS app registers by scanning the driver's license. The process takes about a minute and is not lengthy. Some recognition errors, such as alphabet recognition errors in photos, need improvement. Since it does not collect resident registration numbers, it cannot be used at government offices or banks. Because biometric recognition (fingerprint) must be done and the POS scanner must recognize it within 30 seconds, it is difficult to lend one's identity to others. However, concerns about personal information theft or hacking remain, so the security technology of the three mobile carriers is expected to be crucial going forward.

Major convenience store chains view the service introduction positively. GS25 will also introduce it on the 24th after a month and a half of system checks. Emart24 and 7-Eleven are also reviewing it internally. Especially, older franchise owners find it convenient since, unlike other services, they only need to scan a barcode with the scanner. CU has linked next-generation POS systems with the police agency and the Road Traffic Authority's automatic driver's license information verification system.

Meanwhile, this convenience store application case is the first real-life application nine months after the Ministry of Science and ICT temporarily approved mobile driver's licenses through a regulatory sandbox review in September last year. Future applications in entertainment facilities such as karaoke rooms and clubs are also being considered.