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 stemming from the use of smart glasses, pledging 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 regarding covert filming and privacy breaches caused by these devices.

Bae assured that a response would be initiated at a nationwide level, citing President Lee Jae Myung's mention of the issue during a recent Cabinet meeting. Efforts are already underway to draft a guideline, but the minister emphasized the need to accelerate its progress. Smart glasses are essentially wearable computer frames that blend digital technology with eyewear, enabling users to capture images of surroundings via an embedded camera or display visual data on the lens.

This technology has gained widespread popularity, primarily due to its adoption by Ray-Ban from Meta Platforms Inc. However, the device has recently come under scrutiny in Korea, with several individuals caught employing them to cheat in academic and technical examinations or for illicit purposes.