Songpa-gu Seeks Balance Between Disclosing COVID-19 Confirmed Cases' Movement Paths and Protecting Privacy

Songpa-gu to Host Joint Forum with Korean Public Law Association on 9th... 20 Participants Including Naver Officials and Public Law Experts Collaborate on Solutions

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Amid issues arising from the disclosure of movement information of confirmed COVID-19 cases, such as privacy invasion, Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) is seeking a balance between disclosure of movement paths and protection of privacy.

On the 9th at 4 p.m., the district will hold a forum titled "COVID-19 Response, Legal Issues of Movement Management and the Role of Local Governments" in collaboration with the Korean Public Law Association (President Lee Won-woo) at the 4th-floor auditorium of the district office.

Currently, information on confirmed COVID-19 cases is disclosed on websites in accordance with the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. However, this has led to privacy damages caused by critical and speculative comments directed at confirmed patients and their families, and businesses visited by confirmed patients have suffered revenue declines due to reduced customers, among other problems.

To address this, on May 21, Songpa-gu became the first in the nation to establish and operate the "Songpa-gu Internet Quarantine Team," which works to delete movement information of confirmed cases from the internet after the disclosure period has expired. Since June 1, this initiative has been recognized as a model case for COVID-19 response and has been expanded nationwide under the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Despite these efforts, the prolonged COVID-19 situation has created a conflict between the public interest in requiring detailed movement information of confirmed cases and the protection of individual privacy, necessitating a fundamental solution.

Accordingly, the district plans to collaborate with the Korean Public Law Association to find a balance. Established in 1965, the Korean Public Law Association is a leading legal professional organization in Korea. Since May, it has been providing a platform for in-depth discussions on various social issues arising from COVID-19.

This forum is expected to involve both public and private sectors to engage in practical discussions on movement information management and personal data protection. ▲Naver’s Director of Personal Information, Lee Jin-gyu, will raise the topic "COVID-19, Movement Paths, and Privacy," and ▲Kim In-guk, Director of Songpa-gu Public Health Center, will present "Local Government’s On-site Response to COVID-19 Movement Management," addressing the necessity of disclosing movement paths and the related on-site challenges.

Panelists include Professor Hwang Seong-gi of Hanyang University, Professor Kim Tae-o of Changwon National University, Research Fellow Bae Geon-i of the Korea Legislation Research Institute, along with about 20 members of the Korean Public Law Association. Various opinions on improving movement management for infectious disease prevention are expected to be discussed.

Mayor Park Seong-su stated, “Since the first confirmed case occurred on February 5, Songpa-gu has spent more time and effort than other local governments in considering the disclosure of movement information.” He added, “Through this forum, I hope a proper foundation for solutions related to the important recent issue of ‘disclosure of movement information’ in COVID-19 response will be established.”