Ko Hak-soo, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, said on the 19th, "If (personal) information is collected in an improper manner, criminal punishment is also possible," adding, "I will look into what the situation is regarding the collection of personal information of Jeon Kwang-hoon."
On this day, Chairperson Ko responded to the assertion by Representative Kim Seung-won of the Democratic Party of Korea during a legislative committee meeting that Jeon was randomly collecting personal information from those attending the anti-impeachment rally in Gwanghwamun by receiving various subscription and application forms.
Representative Kim raised concerns about Jeon collecting data extensively, such as vehicle operation information and mobile phone usage and transaction details, while soliciting subscriptions to his related low-cost mobile company, "First Mobile," and offering missionary card sign-ups and regular subscriptions to "Liberty Daily."
Under the Personal Information Protection Act, the principle of personal information collection is to collect only what is necessary within the purpose and scope required. However, Jeon is said to be sharing the collected personal information with his family company on the grounds that he obtained consent for third-party provision without sufficient explanation to subscribers.
In response, Chairperson Ko stated, "I will find out what the situation is. If there is a problem under our law (the Personal Information Protection Act), we will naturally take necessary actions."
During the meeting, there were also inquiries regarding the measures of the commission concerning "DeepSeek," a Chinese generative artificial intelligence (AI) that halted its new download services in South Korea amid controversy over excessive personal information collection.
Lee Heon-seung, a member of the People Power Party, questioned, "The Personal Information Commission took measures to block new downloads of the DeepSeek app, but what measures are being considered to prevent concerns over personal information leaks for consumers who are already using it?"
Chairperson Ko explained, "The blocking of the app was an urgent matter, and since the number of app downloads was increasing, we decided to prevent further downloads before the situation worsens," adding, "It is not easy to practically force the deletion of parts that have already been downloaded."
However, he responded, "We will investigate what data has already been transferred during the process of using it after downloading and ensure that no issues arise regarding the protection of the personal information of our citizens, taking necessary actions if needed."
Previously, the Commission indicated it would take considerable time to rectify DeepSeek's personal information processing guidelines and recommended that DeepSeek temporarily suspend its domestic services, which the company accepted, leading to the halt of new app downloads on domestic app markets.