The presidential office said on the 1st it will review ways to strengthen the punitive damages system in response to Coupang's customer personal information leak. Finding the current system ineffective, it said it will draw up measures such as significantly expanding the subjects and scope of punitive damages applied to corporations when personal data leaks occur.
According to deputy spokesperson Jeon Eun-su of the presidential office, chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik presided over a senior aides' meeting at the presidential office in the afternoon and said, "Because the punitive damages system is effectively not functioning, there are limits to preventing large-scale leaks," adding, "In cases where corporations' responsibility is clear, review improvement plans so the system can operate effectively."
Kang said, "The four repeated personal information leaks since 2021 reveal structural loopholes in the overall personal data protection framework of our society," adding, "In an era when data has become the core of corporations' competitiveness with the AI transition, outwardly the strictest safeguards are touted, yet in reality the management system is in a situation where the back door is left open."
He then told the responsible ministries, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Personal Information Protection Commission, to "promptly report measures such as fundamental institutional supplements, an overhaul of on-site inspection systems, and support to strengthen corporations' remediation capabilities."