Science minister vows to come up with pan-ministerial measures to regulate smart glasses

Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon pledged on Friday to develop comprehensive measures to tackle issues arising from the use of smart glasses, aiming to expedite existing guidelines in the works. During a parliamentary audit at the National Assembly, a lawmaker inquired about the ministry's plans to address concerns surrounding covert filming and privacy breaches enabled by these devices.

Minister Bae assured that a coordinated response would be implemented at the highest-level across various ministries, citing President Lee Jae Myung's mention of the issue during a recent Cabinet meeting. The government is actively preparing a guideline for smart glasses, but is committed to accelerating its development. Smart glasses are wearable computer frames that blend digital technology with eyewear, enabling users to capture images and videos using built-in cameras or display visual information directly on the lenses.

This technology has gained widespread popularity, largely due to Ray-Ban's collaboration with Meta Platforms Inc. However, the use of smart glasses has come under scrutiny in South Korea as some individuals have been caught using them to cheat in academic and technical exams or engage in illicit activities.