The Ministry of Science and ICT is taking a proactive stance against the rising threat of voice phishing by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) technology in collaboration with South Korea’s three major mobile carriers.

On August 8, Minister Byun Kyung-hoon of the Ministry of Science and ICT attended an on-site meeting at KT’s Gwanghwamun headquarters to discuss strategies for AI-driven voice phishing prevention. This roundtable brought together representatives from KT, SK Telecom, and LG Uplus, as well as leaders from the Personal Information Protection Commission, the National Forensic Service, the Institute for Information & Communications Technology Promotion, and the Korea Internet & Security Agency, reflecting robust public-private cooperation.

As part of its commitment to public-interest AI development, the ministry announced plans to expand support for data utilization. The three telecom giants pledged to enhance the accuracy of their voice phishing detection systems. This collaborative approach is grounded in the belief that proactive prevention is more effective than simply compensating victims after incidents occur.

Despite previous measures—such as stricter identity verification for new mobile lines, international roaming alert messages, and extended restrictions on multiple subscriptions under the same name—voice phishing methods have grown increasingly sophisticated and intelligent. As a result, efforts are now underway to establish a comprehensive prevention system encompassing all stages of the crime, rather than relying solely on isolated measures.

KT, leveraging a regulatory sandbox designation for ICT demonstration projects, officially launched its real-time, call-based voice phishing detection service on July 30. By utilizing call data from the National Forensic Service, the detection success rate has significantly improved, with a target of thwarting over 95% of phishing attempts and preventing approximately 200 billion KRW in losses this year.

SK Telecom has been automatically blocking calls to and from phone numbers reported for phishing since 2021 and plans to introduce services to detect “deep voice”—AI-generated fraudulent voices—shortly. Since last year, LG Uplus has been offering real-time voice phishing alerts through its “ixi-O” app and, as of June, has converted over 1,800 stores nationwide into security-specialized outlets, offering tailored consultations and protections against threats like smishing.

Furthermore, both SK Telecom and LG Uplus will leverage the ICT regulatory sandbox to incorporate government-held voice phishing audio data into their services. The three major carriers will also jointly promote the installation of voice phishing detection apps such as PASS, Whowho, A.Dot, and ixi-O, with coordinated public awareness campaigns.

The Personal Information Protection Commission allowed a regulatory sandbox exception in October last year for KT and the National Forensic Service, enabling the use of call data for voice analysis in AI detection services, provided strict safety measures are maintained. The commission also plans to further promote the interpretation and revision of the Personal Information Protection Act to facilitate the use of high-quality call data.

The National Forensic Service is supporting investigations into voice phishing networks using digital technology and is encouraging private sector innovation by anonymizing crime data. It also aims to further boost its AI-based criminal analysis capabilities in the future.

Minister Byun Kyung-hoon emphasized, “If the public and private sectors join forces so that AI can act as a powerful shield against digital crime, we can move closer to eradicating voice phishing.” He also urged telecom firms to both continuously enhance the sophistication of their services and actively promote them so citizens are aware and can utilize the available protections.

“Data sharing and utilization are paramount to maximizing the impact of AI-based voice phishing prevention,” Byun added, noting that the ministry will strengthen interagency cooperation to remove barriers to data use.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Korean Policy Briefing, Yonhap News Agency