Korea Customs Service to Block Illegal Overseas Direct Purchases with AI

[Financial News] The Korea Customs Service announced on the 27th at the Incheon Airport Customs Express Logistics Center that it has begun developing AI technology to block the import of illegal goods through overseas direct purchases and express cargo by holding a launch meeting for the 'AI Risk Management System for Express Cargo and International Mail'.
 In the past year of 2024, imports through overseas direct purchases totaled 180 million cases, an 88% increase compared to 2022, and the import of illegal goods such as drugs through express cargo and international mail is also on the rise. In response, the importance of precise risk management for express cargo and international mail is growing.
 Since 2021, the Korea Customs Service has been sequentially developing and utilizing a risk management system using AI technology in the fields of general imports, cargo, travelers, and personal imports. Last year, it won the Minister of the Interior and Safety Award at the 'Government Innovation Grand Prix' for the case of 'Digital Customs Administration Utilizing Big Data and AI'.
 The system being developed this time will use various declaration information and detection data accumulated by the Korea Customs Service to create AI algorithms by statistically analyzing risk patterns of companies, goods, and supply chains, which will then analyze and evaluate the risk of express cargo and international mail goods in real-time.
 In particular, by utilizing the automatic learning function of new risks, it will continuously categorize and update the risk levels of goods, and through the data refinement function, it will accurately identify risk factors even in missing or inaccurate declaration information, thereby increasing the accuracy of illegal goods selection.
 The development of the AI Risk Management System for Express Cargo and International Mail is expected to be completed by the end of this year and will be fully utilized on the customs clearance site from January next year.
 A Korea Customs Service official said, "The AI Risk Management System will be a core pillar of digital customs administration that protects national safety," adding, "We will continue to actively utilize new technologies such as AI and big data to create a fast and safe customs clearance environment."
kwj5797@fnnews.com Kim Won-jun Reporter