“Burning down the house to get rid of bedbugs.” This Korean saying — similar to the English-language idiom, “Cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face” — warns of the danger of suffering a great loss because of foolish actions taken without recognizing their inherent risks. The Korean government appears to have illustrated this very folly by launching a test run of a new facial recognition technology policy for smartphone users. Starting Dec. 23, telecommunications companies have been required to photograph customers and compare those images with the photos on their identification cards before activating new smartphones. The Ministry of Science and ICT said the facial recognition system will be officially introduced on March 23 next year, following a three-month test period. According to the ministry, the policy is part of law enforcement efforts to combat crime. Burner phones or prepaid disposable phones are commonly used by criminals because they are difficult to trace, and facial recognition is expected to help curb their misuse. However, the decision has sparked cont