South Korean Hancom targets Japanese market for biometric IDV growth

South Korean software developer Hancom is eyeing the Japanese market, where it plans to present its biometric identity verification and authentication technology at this week’s 2026 Japan IT Week Spring in Tokyo.

The software firm has been developing a portfolio of AI-powered solutions tailored for Japan, including secure document processing, automated decision-making,and financial-sector authentication.

At the event, the company is introducing its remote identity verification and biometric facial authentication product HancomAUTH, which is powered by Facephi’s technology. The solution includes an iBeta Level 2-compliant passive liveness detection method, according to the firm.

Hancom is also planning to present a new AI-based document processing tool. The HancomDataLoader converts electronic documents in various formats into structured data and analyzes elements such as text, tables, and images to improve the accuracy of AI training and search.

“Hancom is pushing to expand in global markets through digital trust solutions that combine AI, authentication and electronic document technologies,” says Hancom’s CEO, Youn-soo Kim. “In the Japanese market as well, we will expand technology application cases based on cooperation with local partners and deliver continued results.”

Earlier this year, Hancom struck its first overseas deal with Japanese cloud services provider Cyberlinks. Aside from adopting HancomAUTH identity verification, Cyberlinks is also planning to create a joint biometric product for digital Know Your Customer (eKYC) processes.

Hancom is primarily known for its word processing tools, including a widely used word processing program for the Korean language called Hangul. The company, however, has been increasing the number of its AI-based products.​

The firm invested in FacePhi in 2024, securing a licensing agreement to sell the Spanish firm’s biometric technology across the Asia Pacific under its own brand.​

The company is also trying to reposition itself as an AI orchestration platform, developing a Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard for AI agents.

The company posted record revenue in 2025, driven by its AI products, including the HANCOM Assistant. Revenue rose 10.2 percent to 175.3 billion won ($116.7 million) and operating profit increased 2.4 percent to 50.9 billion won (US$33.8 million), according to news outlet Chosun.

A subsidiary of Hancom group, Hancomwith, also launched a deepfake voice detection software in October last year.

Article Topics

AI  |  biometric identification  |  biometric liveness detection  |  FacePhi  |  facial authentication  |  Hancom  |  identity verification  |  Japan