View source for Personal Information Protection Commission (South Korea)

{{Short description|South Korean government agency for data protection issues}}
{{Distinguish|Personal Information Protection Commission (Japan)}}
{{Infobox government agency
| name                 = Personal Information<br/>Protection Commission
| native_name          =
| native_name_a        = {{lang|ko|개인정보보호위원회}}<br />個人情報保護委員會
| native_name_r        = {{transliteration|ko|Gaein Jeongbo Boho Wiwonhoe}}
| agency_type          = [[National data protection authority]]
| type                 = [[Independent agency]]
| seal                 =
| seal_size            =
| seal_caption         =
| seal_alt             =
| logo                 = Personal Information Protection Commission of the Republic of Korea Logo (English) (horizontal).svg
| logo_size            =
| logo_caption         =
| logo_alt             =
| image                = Government Complex Seoul Main Building.jpg
| image_size           =
| image_caption        = PIPC headquarters in Seoul
| image_alt            =
| formed               = {{Start date and age|2011|09|30}}
| jurisdiction         = {{flag|KOR}}
| status               =
| headquarters         = [[Central Government Complex (Seoul)|Seoul Government Complex]] at [[Jongno-gu]], [[Seoul]], [[South Korea]]
| coordinates          = {{coord|37.5748817|126.9752082|type:landmark|display=title}}
| employees            = 163<ref name="Han">{{cite news |last=홍 |first=인택 |date=2022-09-13 |title=국가교육위 예산, 다른 위원회 5분의 1도 안 돼...유명무실 우려 |url=https://www.hankookilbo.com/News/Read/A2022091215480001874 |work=[[Hankook Ilbo]] |access-date=2022-09-14 |language=Korean}}</ref>
| budget               = 58.5 billion [[South Korean won|KRW]]<br />(for 2023)<ref name="Han"/>
| chief1_name          = [[Ko Hak-soo]]
| chief1_position      = [[Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission (South Korea)|Chairperson]]
| keydocument1         = [[:s:개인정보 보호법|Personal Information Protection Act]]<br/><small>({{langx|ko|개인정보 보호법}})</small>
| website              = {{URL|https://www.pipc.go.kr}}
| footnotes            =
}}
The '''Personal Information Protection Commission''' is the [[national data protection authority]] of [[South Korea]]. It is formed as an [[independent agency]] in 2011 by the 'Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA, {{langx|ko|개인정보 보호법}})',<ref name="PIPA">{{cite web | url= https://elaw.klri.re.kr/kor_service/lawView.do?hseq=53044&lang=ENG | title= Personal Information Protection Act | publisher= Korea Legislation Research Institute | access-date= 2022-09-02}}</ref> and is now located in [[Central Government Complex (Seoul)|Government Complex Seoul]]. The Commission is constituted with 9 commissioners and one of them is the [[Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission (South Korea)|Chairperson]], who is appointed by the [[President of South Korea]].
== History ==
The PIPA of South Korea was first enacted in 2011 to establish a general and comprehensive basis for regulation on [[data protection]], overcoming formerly diffused and conflicting regulations around each type of data. The Act also had a goal to form PIPC as integrated apex authority governing over all data protection issues in South Korea. However, each of laws governing specified types of data continued to exist due to several legal issues, so PIPC was launched in 2011 with rather limited power to govern data protection issues. This limited position is reflected in organizational status of PIPC in 2011, as it was not an independent agency, yet rather an advisory panel for [[Ministry of the Interior and Safety (South Korea)|Ministry of the Interior and Safety]] which was in charge of enforcing PIPA at that time.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ko |first1=Haksoo |last2=Leitner |first2=John |date=2017 |title=Structure and enforcement of data privacy law in South Korea |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/idpl/ipx004 |journal=International Data Privacy Law |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=100–114 |doi=10.1093/idpl/ipx004 |access-date=2022-09-02|doi-access=free }}</ref>
Later in 2020, the PIPA was amended to give complete power to PIPC as [[independent regulatory agency]], with power to investigate personal data privacy failure cases and jurisdiction over adjudicating complaints and disputes on personal information.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ko |first1=Haksoo |last2=Park |first2=Sangchul |date=2020 |title=How to de-identify personal data in South Korea: an evolutionary tale |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/idpl/ipaa015 |journal=International Data Privacy Law |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=385–394 |doi=10.1093/idpl/ipaa015 |access-date=2022-09-02}}</ref> Now under article 7-8 and 7-9 of the PIPA, the PIPC can impose administrative fines. Also by article 7(1), the PIPC is positioned as independent agency under [[Prime Minister of South Korea|Prime Minister]], and article 7(2) guarantees that investigation and adjudication of the PIPC cannot be supervised by the Prime Minister.<ref name="PIPA"/> This new power of the PIPC draws significant attempts to regulate big techs in South Korea. For example, the PIPC fined [[Facebook (company)|Facebook]] $6.1 million in November 2020 for sharing user's personal data without consent.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Joyce |date=2020-11-25 |title=South Korean watchdog fines Facebook $6.1 million for sharing user info without consent |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2850YW |work=Reuters |access-date=2022-09-01}}</ref> Also in September 2022, the PIPC fined [[Google]] $50 million and [[Meta Platforms]] $22 million for violating South Korean privacy regulations.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Choi |first1=Soo-hyang |last2=Lee |first2=Joyce |date=2022-09-16 |title=S.Korea fines Google, Meta billions of won for privacy violations |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/skorea-fines-google-meta-over-accusations-privacy-law-violations-yonhap-2022-09-14 |work=Reuters |access-date=2022-09-30}}</ref>
== Organization ==
{{Further|Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission (South Korea)}}
After amendement of the PIPA in 2020, the PIPC is now a 'central administrative agency ({{langx|ko|중앙행정기관}})', which is identical status as executive departments of the [[South Korean government]]. Among nine commissioners of the PIPC, its [[Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission (South Korea)|Chairperson]] is treated as one of minister in the government.<ref>{{cite news |last=권 |first=수현 |date=2020-08-04 |title='개인정보보호 콘트롤타워' 개인정보보호위 내일 공식 출범 |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200804075300530 |work=[[Yonhap News Agency]] |access-date=2022-09-01 |language=Korean}}</ref> According to amended article 7-2(2) of the PIPA, both the Chairperson and the vice are only permanent commissioners among nine commissioners, and they are appointed by the [[President of South Korea|President]] with proposition from the [[Prime minister of South Korea|Prime minister]]. Under article 7-2(2) of the PIPA, other seven non-permanent commissioners are also appointed by the [[President of South Korea|President]] via following recommendations; two by recommendation of the Chairperson, other two from recommendation of [[ruling party]], and other three from recommendation of [[opposition parties]].<ref name="PIPA"/>
== See also ==
* [[National data protection authority]]
* [[Government of South Korea]]
== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
== External links ==
* [https://www.pipc.go.kr/eng Official website of PIPC in English]
* [https://www.privacy.go.kr Portal for law, policies and regulation for data privacy protection in South Korea (in Korean)]
{{Privacy}}
{{Ministries of South Korea}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Data protection authorities]]
[[Category:Independent government agencies of South Korea]]
[[Category:2011 establishments in South Korea]]
[[Category:Jongno District]]