"Apartment Residents' Meeting Minutes, Personal Information?"... Personal Information Commission Publishes Casebook

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] What should be done when a resident requests to view the minutes of the residents' representative meeting at the apartment management office? Also, what should be done if a resident asks the management office to provide the names of representatives by building and their building and unit numbers?

According to the Apartment Housing Management Act, when a resident requests to view documents, the management office must comply. However, if the minutes contain personal information, measures must be taken to prevent identification of individuals. Additionally, the names of representatives by building can be provided to residents, but building and unit numbers, contact information, and similar details require the consent of the individuals involved.

The Personal Information Protection Commission announced on the 18th that it has published a consultation casebook containing major interpretations of personal information laws related to apartment housing that citizens commonly inquire about in daily life.

According to the 2020 Population Census, 51.5% of all households in Korea live in apartments, leading to an increase in complaints regarding the collection, use, and provision of personal information between residents and between residents and management entities. In response, the Personal Information Protection Commission compiled 54 cases across 9 categories and published this consultation casebook.

The casebook is organized into 9 categories: ▲ minutes of residents' representative meetings ▲ parking management ▲ management fees and accounting ▲ websites and bulletin boards ▲ building representative elections ▲ disclosure and viewing of documents such as management regulations ▲ processing of personal information by entities ▲ video information processing devices ▲ and others. It also presents key issues and recommendations for inclusion in management regulations.

The Personal Information Protection Commission distributed the casebook to 243 local governments and the Housing Management Association, and posted it on the Commission’s website (www.pipc.go.kr) and the Personal Information Protection Portal (www.privacy.go.kr).

Park Yeon-byeong, Planning and Coordination Officer at the Personal Information Protection Commission, said, “Given the circumstances in Korea, the number of apartment residents will inevitably continue to increase,” and added, “We hope that a correct understanding of the Personal Information Protection Act will help reduce conflicts among residents.”