President Lee: Fines are based on law, not targeting specific companies

President Lee Jae-myung stated that recent increases in data breach fines are applied according to law and policy, not to target specific companies. He acknowledged that some businesses might feel singled out, but emphasized that the government's approach is consistent and impartial.

“

Recently, the size of fines for data leaks has increased, and it seems there are companies claiming they are being targeted individually. It would be good to fully explain that this was done according to the law and policy, without considering the company's characteristics at all.

Lee's comments came after the Personal Information Protection Commission fined Coupang 624.6 billion won for a massive personal data leak. This penalty drew criticism from U.S. officials, who alleged discrimination against an American company. The President stressed that the government's policy is to strengthen sanctions against such breaches.

Song Kyung-hee, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, assured the President that the commission focuses on violations of the law, applying penalties strictly and fairly regardless of the company's origin or affiliation. She also mentioned plans to amend regulations to impose an additional 30% fine for concealing or destroying evidence, anticipating such actions.

“

As the President mentioned, the Personal Information Protection Commission focuses on violations of the law. We are imposing penalties strictly and fairly, regardless of the country or institution.

President Lee inquired about the possibility of introducing a large-scale reward system for whistleblowers, offering a portion of collected fines. Song confirmed that a bill for such a system is being prepared, as internal information is often crucial for detecting concealment or destruction of evidence. The commission is considering offering up to 30% of the collected fines as rewards, referencing similar systems in other ministries.

“

We are also amending the regulations to add an additional 30% fine if detected later, as we presume that concealment or destruction of evidence is also occurring.