South Korea to Track COVID-19 Patients, Ensure Mask Compliance With Facial Recognition Cameras

A couple wearing masks to protect against contracting the COVID-19 walk along a street in Seoul, South Korea, on April 3, 2020. Heo Ran/Reuters

A city in South Korea plans to roll out a system that uses facial recognition technology and data from over 10,000 surveillance cameras to detect COVID-19 cases and ensure mask compliance.

Beginning in January, the nationally funded pilot project will be tested in Bucheon, a city of about 850,000 people located between Incheon and Seoul.