[Exclusive] Over 100 Record Inquiries by Korea Communications Standards Commission Staff Involved in 'Civil Complaints Information Leak'

Police Conduct Search and Seizure at Civil Complaints and IT Offices
2-3 Suspects Identified, Including Union Members

An internal employee of the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), suspected in connection with the 'KCSC Personal Information Leakage Incident,' reportedly accessed the records of the complainant over 100 times and even leaked this information externally.

According to the KCSC inspection results secured by the police on the 15th, a labor union official affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) media union, identified as a suspect in the KCSC personal information leakage case, repeatedly accessed the complainant's personal information over 100 times last month at the company office. The police are currently verifying whether the suspect leaked this information externally. Another union official was found to have the authority to view the complainant's personal information but accessed it abnormally many times.

The Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency conducted a search and seizure at the KCSC office in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the same day, securing related materials from the complaint office and the IT team. Previously, Newstapa and MBC reported allegations that KCSC Chairman Ryu Hee-rim mobilized family and acquaintances to file complaints against Newstapa's reports on the 'Kim Man-bae and Shin Hak-rim false interviews' and related cited reports. Opposition-recommended KCSC commissioners and the union also raised concerns regarding the reports.

The KCSC regarded the reports as resulting from illegal leakage of complainants' personal information and requested an investigation by law enforcement agencies into the KCSC staff suspected of information leakage for violations of the Personal Information Protection Act, while initiating an internal inspection. The investigation request submitted by the KCSC reportedly included the statement, "Unless the complainant information was leaked from the KCSC that received the complaint, it is virtually impossible for it to be disclosed externally."