▲ Lee Sang-min, Director General of the Personal Information Policy Bureau at the Personal Information Protection Commission, announces the details of the Personal Information Protection Basic Plan at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on July 3.
The government is set to overhaul its personal information protection system in line with the artificial intelligence (AI) era.
Instead of uniform regulations, the government will shift to a "principle-based" regulatory framework that varies protection levels according to risk, while supporting corporate data utilization and strengthening measures to prevent personal information leaks and increase accountability.
The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) announced the 3rd Basic Plan for Personal Information Protection (2027–2029) in collaboration with relevant ministries at the Economic Ministers' Meeting held today (July 3).
The basic plan serves as a blueprint for personal information policy over the next three years, presenting a vision of a "trusted personal information environment and an AI society enjoyed with peace of mind."
First, the government has decided to transition the personal information regulatory framework to a principle-based system that applies protection proportional to risk, moving away from the existing uniform regulations to fit the AI environment.
To resolve uncertainties regarding personal information processing faced by companies during the AI transformation (AX), the government will operate an "AX Relief Support Center" while simultaneously introducing AI-specific exceptions that allow the use of original personal information for AI training, provided that safety measures are in place.
New personal information protection standards will be established to respond to the expansion of agentic AI and physical AI.
In addition, the government plans to develop measures to prevent data tampering, such as deepfakes, and push for institutionalization to ensure AI transparency.
The focus of personal information protection policy will shift from post-incident sanctions to proactive prevention.
The government will strengthen regular inspection systems for high-risk and vulnerable areas and promote the institutionalization of security checks, such as AI security audits.
AI technology will be integrated into the Information Security Management System (ISMS-P) certification and various evaluation systems to improve standards and procedures.
Incentives, such as reductions in fines for leaks, will be expanded for companies that invest proactively in personal information protection, while the responsibilities of CEOs will be strengthened and the status of Chief Privacy Officers (CPOs) will be elevated.
Conversely, for businesses that neglect their management duties, the government will push for the introduction of enforcement fines and strengthen sanctions by establishing grounds for criminal punishment regarding the illegal distribution of personal information.
For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a "resilience-focused" support system will be established, providing recovery technology support and customized consulting in the event of a personal information leak.
Furthermore, the government has decided to establish a pan-government integrated personal information protection system with the PIPC acting as the control tower.
This decision was made because personal information-related regulations are currently operated separately by sector, causing confusion.
The government plans to strengthen inter-ministerial cooperation by jointly managing high-risk areas such as telecommunications, education, and employment with the relevant ministries, and by establishing an early warning system and streamlining overlapping regulations.
Lee Sang-min, Director General of the Personal Information Policy Bureau at the PIPC, stated, "We will reorganize the regulatory framework centered on the Personal Information Protection Act to resolve overlapping regulations and address issues of (legal) consistency."
The system for cross-border data transfers will also be reorganized.
Following the already established mutual adequacy recognition system between South Korea and the EU, the government has decided to expand customized data transfer cooperation with countries such as the UK, Japan, and the US, taking into account the similarity of legal systems and the scale of trade.
The government also plans to increase the flexibility of cross-border data transfers for global joint research by expanding safe transfer methods such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs).
In addition, a one-stop rights remedy system will be established to link everything from reporting and investigation to dispute mediation and damage compensation in the event of a personal information leak or infringement. An AI-based personal information management platform will also be built to help citizens easily check the status of their personal information processing and exercise their rights.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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