The wearable device, named Sullivan Eye, integrates core features of the Sullivan Plus app—such as image description, document recognition, and facial recognition—into a hands-free format. (Image provided by SK Telecom)
SEOUL, April 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s major telecommunications companies are accelerating efforts to make their services more accessible to people with disabilities, deploying a growing suite of AI-powered, barrier-free technologies that extend far beyond traditional communication tools.
SK Telecom announced this week that it plans to launch a smart glasses device for the visually impaired in the second half of 2025, in partnership with social venture Tuat.
The wearable device, named Sullivan Eye, integrates core features of the Sullivan Plus app—such as image description, document recognition, and facial recognition—into a hands-free format. The glasses are also equipped with walking support functions aimed at improving daily mobility and autonomy.
SK Telecom began working with Tuat in 2021, incorporating voice recognition and multimodal AI into the Sullivan Plus platform. The telecom giant has since broadened its accessibility initiatives, including the Carevia service, which uses AI to monitor and detect challenging behaviors of people with developmental disabilities in care centers via CCTV, allowing remote specialists to offer real-time intervention guidance.
Additionally, SK Telecom has applied AI facial expression recognition technology to Metaforest, a remote psychological counseling platform operated by YATAV Entertainment, enhancing its capacity to interpret users’ emotional states.
A KT Busan branch recently opened a “barrier-free retail outlet” in the city’s Busanjin District. (Image provided by KT)
LG Uplus is also advancing inclusive mobility solutions. The company recently completed a successful trial of a smart mobility support system for visually impaired bus passengers.
The system links a white cane with a smartphone app to enable real-time, voice-guided navigation and vibration alerts, helping users safely board and exit public buses. This innovation stems from the “Day-Easy” project, which won the grand prize at Hyundai Motor and Kia’s 2023 Idea Festival.
Meanwhile, KT has focused on creating physically accessible service environments. Its Busan branch recently opened a “barrier-free retail outlet” in the city’s Busanjin District.
The facility includes ramps, braille blocks, magnifiers, low-height consultation desks, and support handles for wheelchair users. In 2024, KT also launched a dedicated store for deaf customers in the Jeolla region under the name “Wolsan With Deaf.”
KT employs specialized counselors to provide personalized, one-on-one consultations tailored to various types of disabilities. It also offers deaf and hard-of-hearing customers a “visual ARS” (automated response service), supporting multiple communication formats including sign language, chat, and email.
SK Telecom is likewise enhancing its billing accessibility. The company provides a voice-based billing explanation service powered by speech-to-text (STT) and text-to-speech (TTS) technology.
This tool supplements traditional braille invoices by allowing blind and elderly users to hear detailed billing breakdowns via phone, reducing inconvenience caused by lost or inaccessible printed bills.
For users with hearing or speech impairments, SK Telecom’s A.Dot Phone Voice View service converts spoken audio into real-time text and reads typed responses aloud, enabling more seamless telephone conversations.
As South Korean telecom firms broaden their technological horizons into AI and IoT, they are increasingly embedding accessibility into product innovation—reflecting a vision of communication as a universal right rather than a privilege.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
