Minister Jung Eun-kyeong of the Ministry of Health and Welfare said, "We will check whether a Chinese genome analysis corporations that recently established a local branch used the national health big data, and strengthen our cybersecurity system."
The Minister said this in response to a point raised by People Power Party lawmaker Han Ji-a at the Health and Welfare Committee's parliamentary audit on the 14th, who said, "Novogene Korea, established domestically by an executive who previously worked at China's BGI, has moved into the Korea Association of Health Promotion's building in the form of a shared laboratory, and it is necessary to respond to prevent the use of the association's national health big data."
The Minister said, "For now, we have only confirmed a lease relationship with the association, and I was briefed that there is no history of information sharing or joint research with the association."
Novogene is a genome analysis company founded in 2011 by Li Ruchang, who served as a vice president at China's BGI, the world's No. 2 genome analysis corporations. In Korea, it opened a branch as Novogene Korea in Jun. Novogene Korea provides eukaryotic messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) sequencing services, a next-generation sequencing method, to domestic hospitals and research institutions.
A genome refers to all genetic information (DNA) an organism has. Through genome analysis, it is possible to predict, for each individual, the likelihood of diseases such as cancer and rare diseases, and to identify even sensitive personal information such as optimal treatments, drug responses, and health management tailored to each person, making security essential.
Han pointed to BGI's past record of sharing health big data with Chinese authorities. He said, "According to Reuters in 2021, it was revealed that BGI shared 8 million pieces of data from pregnant women, secured from 52 countries, with the People's Liberation Army of China," and added, "Novogene Korea, founded by a former vice president of this company, collects genome data in Korea but conducts all analysis overseas, which could lead to the overseas outflow of the nation's bioinformation."
Reform Party lawmaker Lee Joo-young also pointed out the organization's composition centered on a few administrative staff without equipment or laboratory personnel. Lee said, "Although Novogene Korea has moved into the Korea Association of Health Promotion's building, it was confirmed that there is no laboratory equipment or analysis staff, and only six administrative employees are working," adding, "There is also interview content to the effect that this corporations can use the association's vast national health big data."
Lee further said, "The association is an institution under the purview of the Ministry of Health and Welfare that performs about 10% of the national health checkups, but recently there has been a surge in hacking attempts here, with tens of thousands of access attempts confirmed from the same IP," emphasizing, "Preemptive measures are urgently needed to protect the public's health information."
In response to these concerns, the Minister said, "We need to further confirm how the big data held by the Korea Association of Health Promotion is actually managed and shared," adding, "Given that protecting sensitive information is the top priority, we will preemptively inspect security threats and comprehensively examine data access controls for corporations occupying shared laboratories, the possibility of external extraction, and whether analyses are outsourced overseas." The Minister also said, "Life and human-body information, including genomes, are a national and societal strategic asset," adding, "We will reassess relevant laws, systems, and guidelines, and pursue institutional improvements if necessary."