Major convenience store chains in South Korea are implementing a new facial recognition payment system called “FacePay” in partnership with Viva Republica, the company behind the mobile financial platform Toss. The rollout represents a significant expansion of Toss’s biometric authentication initiatives in South Korea’s financial sector, where the company has been at the forefront of facial recognition adoption.
The biometric payment service allows customers to register their facial data through the Toss mobile app, enabling them to complete transactions by scanning their face at designated terminals in participating stores. The system delivers 99.99 percent accuracy and processes facial authentication within one second, supporting South Korea’s broader push toward digital identity solutions and contactless payments.
GS25 is initiating the rollout with approximately 30 key locations next month, beginning with pilot testing at select stores including GS Gangnam and DX Lab branches for internal employees. 7-Eleven plans to launch FacePay in the first half of the year, starting with select Seoul locations before expanding nationwide after completing their testing phase.
To address security concerns, Toss implements “Liveness” technology to prevent face forgery and alteration, while maintaining encrypted biometric data on separate servers. The security approach follows industry best practices for biometric data protection, with the company operating a 24-hour transaction detection system to identify and respond to potential fraudulent activities. The implementation of liveness detection plays a crucial role in preventing spoofing attempts using photos or videos, ensuring that only physically present customers can complete transactions.
The implementation of facial recognition payments at convenience stores could lead to broader adoption across the retail sector, including department stores, large discount stores, and shopping complexes. GS Retail has indicated plans to potentially expand the FacePay system to their supermarket chain, GS The Fresh, following the convenience store deployment. The expansion reflects global trends in retail biometrics, where facial recognition is increasingly being deployed for both security and convenience purposes.
The initiative comes as South Korea continues to advance its digital infrastructure, with the country already planning a nationwide rollout of mobile ID cards and other digital identity solutions. The FacePay system marks another step in the country’s evolution toward a more digitally integrated retail and payment ecosystem.
Sources: MK Business News, Pulse News
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