The number of dedicated personal data protection personnel at central government ministries and agencies will increase by 54.
The Personal Information Protection Commission and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on the 25th that the Cabinet approved ad hoc organizational revisions for multiple ministries that include these measures.
A full-count survey the Personal Information Protection Commission conducted in February of 653 entities, including central administrative agencies, local governments, public institutions, and city and provincial education offices, found that the average number of personal data protection staff per entity was 1.9. Of these, dedicated personnel who do not handle other duties and focus solely on personal data protection averaged just 0.7.
Based on the survey results, the Personal Information Protection Commission in June submitted an ad hoc organizational request across multiple ministries to secure dedicated personal data protection personnel. After deliberations by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Planning and Budget, and a Vice Minister meeting on the 21st, the increase in central government personnel was finalized at the Cabinet meeting that day.
It is the first time in 11 years that the government has expanded dedicated personal data protection personnel across ministries. It is also the first time since its launch in 2020 that the Personal Information Protection Commission has pushed to expand dedicated personnel across the government. With this organizational revision, the average number of dedicated personal data protection personnel at central ministries will nearly double from 1.1 to 2.1 per institution.
Personnel will be allocated differentially according to each institution's volume and sensitivity of personal data processing. Staff will be concentrated at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Justice, the Korean National Police Agency, and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, which process large volumes of personal data or hold extensive sensitive information. Fourteen institutions that previously had no dedicated personnel, including the Overseas Koreans Agency and the Korea Heritage Service, will also receive new staff.
The Personal Information Protection Commission is also pushing to expand staffing in other public institutional sectors, including local governments, public institutions, and education offices. It also plans to conduct inspections of personal data protection practices in the public sector and improve conditions for personnel in charge.
Song Gyeong-hee, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, said, "We hope this personnel expansion will serve as an opportunity to build a system in which each ministry takes responsibility for inspecting and managing its area of jurisdiction," adding, "Going forward, the Personal Information Protection Commission will continue to strengthen the public sector's personal data protection capabilities so that people can confidently access public services."