Samsung Electronics has been working to develop iris recognition technologies with Yonsei University’s Biometrics Engineering Research Center, according to industry sources.

The nation’s leading mobile device maker was confirmed to have applied for a patent under the title of “device and methods enabling iris recognition and proximity sensing” last May.

The patent application states, “iris recognition identifies a person’s unique iris characteristics and applies these to verification technology for the security purposes.”

Irises have patterns that are more unique than fingerprints, the document explains, and as this technology is non-contact people will feel less aversion to it. “It also accurately identifies people while they are wearing glasses or contact lenses.”

“As Asian eyes lack melanic pigment, infrared lighting was used to increase the recognition rate,” the report says.

Responding to rumors that the upcoming Galaxy S5 will adopt an iris recognition system, a Samsung official said, “The patent application only shows the possibility and we are not sure whether the next model will have such a system.” As for fingerprint recognition, he hinted that the possibility that this technology will be utilized is much lower.

Professor Kim Jae-hee, the head of Yonsei University’s BERC, declined to comment on the project.

With a growing focus on smartphone security issues, cellphone makers are spurring the development of biometrics technologies.

Samsung Electronics has already unveiled pupil recognition technologies for its Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note3. This year, Apple’s iPhone 5s, Pantech’s Vega LTE-A, and HTC’s One max have also adopted fingerprint sensors for security purposes.

The Korea Internet & Security Agency’s Kim Jae-sung, who is in charge of biometric standardization, said, “For mobile banking services, concerns are increasing nowadays about information leakage and hacking. Though biometrics is not perfectly safe, it can be complementary to conventional security methods like phone verification.”

He added, though, that “it will take some time for biometrics systems to become proven like other technologies such as digital door locks or e-passport systems. Technologies for lightweight devices are still not at a very high level.”

According to the KISA, the total worth of the domestic biometrics market is expected to reach 350 billion won ($329 million) by 2015. Accordingly, the security systems for mobile devices are also poised to develop, albeit slowly.

The global biometrics market will grow to $15 billion by 2015 from its 2012 estimated value of $7 billion, according to the Biometrics Research Group. It added that the fingerprint sector will account for the greatest share, reaching nearly $10 billion in 2015. Facial, iris, vein and voice recognition technologies together form the second-largest segment, expected to reach $5 billion in 2015.

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)