Government accelerates handling of personal data leaks and breaches
October 6, 2026 · 3 min read
The Personal Information Protection Commission announced a new plan to process personal data leak and breach incidents faster and more professionally. The initiative aims to build an investigative framework that is fair and transparent, restoring trust between citizens, companies and the state. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have made attacks on personal information more sophisticated and widespread, leading to a sharp rise in reported incidents. According to the commission, reports grew from 167 cases in 2022 to 318 in 2023 and are projected to reach 447 next year. In the first half of 2026 alone, 432 cases were recorded, approaching the full-year total for 2025. Large‑scale leaks from telecom, platform and distribution firms often affect millions to tens of millions of individuals.
The strategy focuses on five core tasks: strategic incident management, rapid processing procedures, enhanced transparency of investigations, capacity building for investigators and public disclosure of handling status. Critical incidents will be investigated within twelve months, ordinary cases within six months and minor cases within three months. Critical incidents include leaks affecting over one million people, matters of high public concern or breaches of major public systems. Immediate response teams will be formed to assess impact, preserve evidence and prevent further damage while notifying affected parties and stopping additional harm.
General incidents will be grouped by type to standardize violations and penalties, allowing batch processing. Analysis of 621 resolved cases showed that private sector breaches were most often hacking (235), internal errors (192) and system failures (51), while public sector breaches were dominated by internal errors (79), hacking (33) and system failures (9). Minor incidents will receive a grace period for small and medium enterprises, with technical support to correct root causes and prevent recurrence. The commission allocated 2.2 billion won in 2027 for consulting and remediation to curb repeat offenses.
To reduce workload on the main committee, cases with fines under one hundred million won will be handled by subcommittees, with plans to expand the threshold to one billion won as performance improves. This shift is expected to resolve 54 percent to 85 percent of violation cases more quickly, prompting timely corrective actions. Among 200 fined cases, 107 involved fines below one hundred million won (54 percent), 136 involved fines below three hundred million won (68 percent) and 169 involved fines below ten billion won (85 percent).
Procedural transparency will be strengthened to protect the rights of those under investigation. Early decisions on whether to open an investigation will be made promptly by assigning dedicated staff at the outset, and parties will be informed if an investigation is closed without action. If a probe extends beyond the initial period, updates will be provided every six or twelve months to improve predictability. For complex cases, preliminary findings will be shared to increase understanding and acceptance, and ample opportunities for formal comment will be offered after the investigation concludes.
Targeted training programs and enhanced basic education for new investigators aim to build a skilled workforce. Continuous staffing will be ensured by appointing specialist investigators to maintain expertise despite rotational assignments. A shared digital platform will distribute required data across systems such as the KISA reporting tool, the commission’s investigation database and forensic laboratories, boosting productivity. Long‑term plans include developing an artificial intelligence search database for investigative use.
Public disclosures will expand to include annual and agency‑specific case intake and resolution numbers, average investigation durations, litigation status and notable leak examples. Details of penalty calculations will also be made public, covering severity assessments, mitigation rates, applicable fee scales and newly introduced investment mitigation rates under recent legal amendments, ensuring the public’s right to know and helping businesses and government agencies improve protection practices.
Commission Chairperson Song Kyung‑hee stated that as leaks become more frequent and complex, a one‑size‑fits‑all approach is insufficient. She emphasized allocating investigative resources according to incident importance and characteristics, applying full capacity to critical cases while processing routine matters swiftly, and ensuring that procedures are clear, predictable and publicly disclosed. This, she said, will create an investigative system that balances speed with fairness and transparency.