'Resident Registration Numbers Leaking Continuously'... Illegal Distribution of Personal Information Increasing Rapidly Every Year

Rep. Jo Myung-hee of the People Power Party is questioning at the confirmation hearing of Han Sang-hyuk, Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, held on July 20 at the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] The illegal distribution of personal information such as resident registration numbers and bank account numbers through the internet is rapidly increasing every year.

According to data received by Rep. Jo Myung-hee of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Communications Committee, from the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) on the 4th, the number of detected posts illegally distributing personal information online reached a total of 523,146 cases from 2016 to August of this year.

The number of detected cases, which was 64,644 in 2016, doubled to 121,714 in 2019.

This year, from January to August, there were 105,523 cases, and it is expected to increase compared to last year on an annual basis.

Most of the leaked personal information was distributed overseas. In particular, out of the total detected cases over five years, two-thirds, or 353,479 cases, occurred outside the country.

The country with the highest number of detections was the United States with 271,029 cases, followed by China with 8,909 cases, and Japan with 4,825 cases.

As domestic site crackdowns intensified, attempts to illegally distribute and trade personal information using overseas sites increased, and it was analyzed that this activity is prevalent in various communities and personal sites.

Rep. Jo said, "In a country where personal information leaks continuously, the dream of becoming an advanced nation in new industries such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and big data cannot grow healthily," adding, "We must strengthen the responsibility for managing personal information and completely block illegal distribution of personal information through continuous monitoring, active cooperation with domestic and international related agencies including investigative authorities."