[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] It has been revealed that the four dispute mediation committees in the ICT field established at the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) are being operated opaquely and in a haphazard manner. Moreover, meetings are held irregularly, and even the operating rules and minutes of each committee are not properly disclosed.
According to the National Assembly audit data submitted by Rep. Lee Yong-bin (Democratic Party of Korea, Gwangju Gwangsan Gap) from KISA on the 13th, the dispute mediation committees established at KISA include the Electronic Document and Electronic Transaction Dispute Mediation Committee, Internet Address Dispute Mediation Committee, Information Security Industry Dispute Mediation Committee, and Online Advertising Dispute Mediation Committee, totaling four committees, with KISA operating the general secretariat.
Among them, the Information Security Industry Dispute Mediation Committee did not hold a single plenary meeting in 2017 and 2020.
This year, it even dismissed cases without holding mediation meetings. Despite not properly holding meetings, this committee had regulations allowing payment of research allowances to members monthly for dispute cases and research, in addition to travel expenses for attending meetings.
Also, the Online Advertising Dispute Mediation Committee stipulated that the mediation panel should be composed of no more than five members but held several meetings with more than five members.
This meant additional budget was paid corresponding to the increased number of members. This committee also did not disclose the minutes, which are required to be published on the website within 14 days.
The Electronic Document and Electronic Transaction Dispute Mediation Committee has been criticized for operating in a haphazard manner with fluctuating numbers of mediation meeting members over the past five years.
From March 2015 to May 2016, there was only one mediation member; from August 2016 to December 2017, the number increased to five or more; then from January 2018 to December 2019, it was three members; and from 2020, it operated with two members, showing inconsistency.
Some committees mediated disputes without clear standards. The Internet Address Dispute Mediation Committee handled 106 cases in 2015, 59 in 2016, 49 in 2017, 51 in 2018, 31 in 2019, and 24 in 2020 without detailed regulations on mediation procedures and processing, which other dispute mediation committees have.
This committee allows remote meetings if devices capable of simultaneous video or audio transmission are equipped, but it held only three meetings in 2019 and did not hold a single plenary meeting this year.
The four ICT dispute mediation committees of KISA are being operated in a blackout manner without disclosing the operating rules that should be published on the website, raising doubts about whether the agency responsible for internet information security is fulfilling its role.
The operating regulations still state that “the Minister of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning appoints the members,” which was the name of the previous government agency, and this careless administration operating the committees without reviewing the regulations for three years since the government reorganization has also drawn criticism.
Rep. Lee Yong-bin said, “It is evidence of serious disciplinary laxity that KISA, responsible for information security, is operating related committees under the ICT Dispute Mediation Support Center as the general secretariat without properly revising or adhering to internal regulations and implementing them haphazardly. Immediate correction of work discipline and improvements are necessary.”
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