Samsung Life first in insurance industry to adopt KFTC facial and biometric authentication

Samsung Life Insurance announced Monday that it has applied the Korea Financial Telecommunications & Clearings Institute's facial authentication and biometric authentication (FaceKey) services simultaneously to its mobile operations, becoming the first insurer in the industry to do so.

The move is a preemptive response to increasingly sophisticated remote financial crimes. Existing remote identity verification methods — which rely on photographing identification cards or bank transfers — have drawn criticism for their vulnerability to forged IDs and customer impersonation. Samsung Life said it has leveraged individuals' unique, unreplicable biometric facial data to block unauthorized transactions by third parties, creating a safer environment for customers.

Once customers register the biometric authentication (FaceKey) service for the first time through Samsung Life's mobile website or customer plaza, they can use it immediately for login, final transaction confirmation for insurance services and remote real-name verification, significantly reducing the steps required for authentication.

The KFTC's biometric authentication service processes verification either within the user's personal device or at the institute itself, with the KFTC confirming only whether authentication was successful. Major insurers — including Samsung Fire, Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance, Meritz Fire and DB Insurance — had previously introduced biometric electronic signature systems based on fingerprint and facial recognition on a rolling basis.

"As public attention to personal data protection has grown, we were the first in the industry to adopt the KFTC's highly secure and credible service," a Samsung Life Insurance official said. "We will continue to expand a financial environment that is the safest and most convenient for our customers, connecting every moment of their lives with Samsung Life Insurance."