Latest news with #PersonalInformationProtectionAct
Pink Villa
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Lee Sun Kyun death: 2 government officials and journalist indicted for leaking confidential case details, know more
Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of dr*g use and sensitive circumstances surrounding a public figure's demise. Reader discretion is advised! In a major development tied to the late actor Lee Sun Kyun's controversial dr*g investigation, two government officials have been indicted. A journalist has also been charged for illegally disclosing sensitive information to the press. On June 5, the Incheon District Prosecutor's Office revealed that formal charges had been filed against a police officer and a prosecutorial investigator for breaching official secrecy. A journalist was also indicted for violating personal data protection laws. This indictment follows a months-long investigation into how details from a confidential criminal probe made their way into the public sphere. Many believe it contributed to the severe public scrutiny faced by Lee Sun Kyun prior to his tragic death in December 2023. Leaked files and conversations triggered sensationalism According to prosecution authorities, the first breach occurred on October 18, 2023. A police officer in his 30s, referred to only as 'A,' captured photographs of official investigation records. These documents reportedly contained detailed information on individuals linked to the dr*g case. It included names, prior criminal offenses, and occupations. The images were allegedly distributed to two reporters, despite containing information that had not yet been verified or cleared for release. The following day, a separate leak allegedly occurred. A prosecutorial investigator in his 40s, identified as 'B,' is said to have informed a different journalist that Lee Sun Kyun was under formal investigation. This verbal disclosure, made while the case was still at a confidential stage. It reportedly served as the tipping point for a flood of media coverage that framed the actor's situation in a highly sensationalized manner. The journalist who received and published this information, named 'C' in the report, has now been indicted under South Korea's Personal Information Protection Act. This law prohibits the release of private or unverified details obtained through unauthorized means. Timeline: From private probe to public pressure Lee Sun Kyun, internationally known for his performance in Parasite, had quietly been under police investigation since October 14, 2023. He voluntarily attended three rounds of questioning related to alleged dr*g use. However, before authorities had even concluded their findings or presented evidence publicly, his name and alleged charges began appearing in headlines across the country. The release of unconfirmed information and speculative coverage across social platforms only amplified the pressure on the actor. On December 26, 2023, Lee was found deceased in his car. His sudden death prompted a wave of grief and anger throughout the entertainment industry and the general public.
Korea Herald
19-05-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Personal information protection, new authority for real estate dispute
The Korea Herald republishes a weekly legislative report by local law firm DR & AJU LLC to provide the latest information on bills approved, proposed, pending and set to be promulgated. — Ed. Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Personal Information Protection Act Proposed by Rep. Lee Jung-mun (Democratic Party of Korea) ● In the event of a leak of sensitive or personally identifiable information, this amendment requires personal information controllers to monitor the illegal distribution of the leaked data for two years and report the findings to the Personal Information Protection Commission. Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on the Improvement of Urban Areas and Residential Environments Proposed by Rep. Maeng Sung-kyu (Democratic Party of Korea) ● This amendment consolidates the currently fragmented construction and real estate-related dispute mediation bodies into a single Integrated Construction and Real Estate Dispute Mediation Committee under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which will serve as the central coordinating authority for such disputes. Pending Bill: Partial Amendment to the Housing Act Proposed by Rep. Han Jeoung-ae (Democratic Party of Korea) ● This amendment replaces the legal term 'industrialized housing,' which refers to housing built using modular construction techniques, with 'prefabricated housing,' and provides regulatory incentives for such housing by easing restrictions on the building coverage ratio and floor area ratios. Promulgated Bill: Enforcement Decree of the Occupational Safety and Health Act Competent Authority: Ministry of Employment and Labor ● This bill requires business owners to report the dismissal of safety and health managers or occupational medicine doctors to the relevant regional employment and labor office. Competent Authority: Financial Services Commission —
Korea Herald
15-05-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
China's Temu fined for transfer of Korean users' personal info
Chinese e-commerce platform Temu has been fined for secretly transferring South Korean users' personal information to China and Singapore, the state data protection watchdog here said Thursday. The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) said it decided to impose a fine of 1.36 billion won ($970,000) on Temu during a plenary meeting Wednesday for violating the Personal Information Protection Act. In April last year, the PIPC launched an investigation into personal data collection and usage by Temu and AliExpress -- two major Chinese e-commerce platforms expanding aggressively in South Korea. While the watchdog imposed a fine of about 1.97 billion won on AliExpress three months later, it postponed a decision on Temu due to insufficient data on its local sales. Temu entrusted the processing or storage of personal information to multiple businesses in South Korea, China, Singapore, Japan and other countries for product delivery, but did not disclose that in its personal information processing policy, according to the PIPC. In addition, the company did not provide management and supervision, such as education on personal information protection measures, to the multiple partner businesses. Temu did not designate a domestic agent, though a daily average of 2.9 million South Korean people were using its online platform as of the end of 2023, the PIPC noted. The company is also accused of making it difficult for users to exercise their rights by forcing them to follow seven steps to cancel membership. But the PIPC said Temu has recently taken voluntary corrective measures, such as revising its information processing policy, disclosing its domestic agents and improving some of the membership withdrawal procedures. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
29-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
280,000 SKT users replace USIM chips through hacking-prompted replacement service
SK Telecom Co. said Tuesday around 280,000 users have received new universal subscriber identity module (USIM) chips through its free replacement program, launched in response to a recent hacking incident. As of 9 a.m., some 4.32 million users had also booked USIM replacements online, according to the company. The service began at 10 a.m. on Monday, with about 2,600 retail stores nationwide also participating in the replacement effort. Some 25 million SK Telecom subscribers, including nearly 2 million budget phone users, are eligible for the replacement service. The move followed a cyberattack detected on April 18, in which SK Telecom discovered signs of a large-scale leak of customers' USIM data. In response, the company pledge d to take swift action and launched the replacement program. Authorities believe the data was leaked from SK Telecom's main server despite the company rejecting the claim. "I don't know why SK Telecom denied that," Choi Jang-hyuk, vice chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, told reporters in a briefing. "I think it would be right to view the leak as coming from the main server." Choi said the watchdog is currently looking into the case with a focus on whether proper security measures were taken for the main server that stored USIM data. He declined to elaborate on the leak, noting the probe is at an early stage. He also said SK Telecom will likely face a fine on a "different level," compared to the 6.8 billion won ($4.7 million) levied against another telecom carrier, LG Uplus Corp., in 2023 over a data leak of around 300,000 users. "LG Uplus was before the revision to the Personal Information Protection Act, the fine (for SK Telecom) is likely to be far higher than that," Choi said. With the legal revision, companies can be fined up to 3 percent of their total sales, although sales from areas unrelated to the law violation can be excluded from the calculation. SK Telecom has also asked its subscribers to register for its USIM Protection Service, which it said offers the same level of defense against illegal financial activity as replacing the USIM card itself. About 8.72 million people have signed up for the protection service so far, it added. Combined with replacements and reservations, the total number of users who have taken protective steps stood at 13.31 million, the company said. SK Telecom emphasized that no financial incidents, such as unauthorized transfers, have been reported using the stolen data so far. However, cybersecurity experts caution that hackers could still exploit the stolen USIM information for phishing attacks via text messages, KakaoTalk or email. The Korea Internet & Security Agency has asked the public not to click on smishing messages, or SMS phishing messages, but to report such activity to the agency. (Yonhap)
Mint
28-04-2025
- Business
- Mint
DeepSeek returns to South Korean App Stores after privacy policy overhaul: What it means for users
DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) platform, has returned to South Korea's app stores after a two-month suspension prompted by data protection concerns. The service, which was initially launched in January, was temporarily pulled from the market in February after South Korean authorities raised issues regarding the handling of user data. South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) had cited that DeepSeek transferred user data and queries to third parties without proper consent, which led to the suspension of the app's download options in the country. However, on Monday, the app became available again for download through major platforms, including Apple's App Store and Google Play Store. Addressing the criticism, DeepSeek has updated its privacy policy, pledging that it now handles personal data in strict accordance with South Korea's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). The updated policy also gives users the option to refuse the transfer of their data to certain companies in both China and the United States. 'We process your personal information in compliance with the Personal Information Protection Act of Korea,' the company stated in its latest privacy policy update. While the app is now accessible again, South Korea's data protection agency has confirmed that DeepSeek voluntarily chose to reinstate the app after making certain adjustments in line with the agency's recommendations. Authorities clarified that the app is free to resume operations, having partially addressed the privacy concerns raised earlier. Despite the improvements, DeepSeek did not immediately comment on the matter following the app's return to the market. Notably, the controversy over DeepSeek highlights ongoing concerns about data privacy, particularly in relation to foreign tech services operating in South Korea. While the country has strict regulations governing the collection and transfer of personal data, tensions remain over how international companies manage user information. (With inputs from Reuters) First Published: 28 Apr 2025, 09:18 PM IST
