A Study on the Organization and Authority of the Personal Information Protection Commission

The Personal Information Protection Commission shall be established under the direct jurisdiction of the President and shall independently perform affairs under its authority. It shall be comprised of total 15 members (5 members designated by the President, 5 members elected at the National Assembly and 5 members designated by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), including one minister-level Chairperson and one vice-minister-level standing member. Main functions of the Personal Information Protection Commission include deliberation and resolution of major policies and improvement of ordinances and systems related to personal information protection, coordination of opinions among public institutions in regards to the management of personal information, recommendation of improvement such as suspension of infringement by a central administrative agency, a local government and a constitutional institution, and submission of annual reports on personal information protection to the National Assembly. The function and role of the Personal Information Protection Commission regulated by the current law are insufficient in terms of independence and authorities of protection agencies compared to the international standard or level of discussion. The Commission thus cannot play a sufficient role as an independent agency for efficient protection of personal information. Therefore, there is a need for law revision that revives the purpose of the establishment of the Personal Information Protection Commission.