Yeongju City Achieves 'A Grade' in Personal Information Protection Assessment

Recognition for subscribing to personal information protection liability insurance,
strengthening education and public awareness,
and implementing robust system security measures

Yeongju City, North Gyeongsang Province, has achieved an 'A grade' in the '2024 Public Institution Personal Information Protection Level Assessment' organized by the Personal Information Protection Commission.

This assessment was conducted for the first time after the revision of the Personal Information Protection Act, which expanded and converted the previous 'Public Institution Personal Information Management Level Diagnosis' into an evaluation system. It was carried out across 1,426 public institutions, including central government ministries, local governments, and public enterprises.

Yeongju City received an 'A grade' in this assessment. Within North Gyeongsang Province, five institutions, including Yeongju City, earned this distinction, and nationwide, 63 local governments (27.9%) were selected for the 'A grade.'

Yeongju City has designated a Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) and assigned two dedicated personnel for personal information management, thereby establishing a comprehensive resource management system for the entire organization. The city also conducts regular training for personal information handlers, inspects access records to personal information processing systems, discloses the status of outsourced personal information processing tasks, and strengthens both training and supervision of contractors, all in an effort to protect the rights and interests of information subjects.

Yeongju City is conducting personal information training for its employees. Photo by Yeongju City

In particular, as a proactive measure, the city has subscribed to 'personal information protection liability insurance' to ensure compensation for citizens in the event of personal information leakage, loss, or theft.

Additionally, Yeongju City is working to raise awareness among all employees about personal information protection by posting notices to prevent information leaks on the city’s main website and IoT electronic billboards, and by installing personal information protection screensavers on work PCs.

Since last year, the city has introduced digital storage media shredding equipment to safely dispose of storage devices containing personal information, such as hard drives and USBs. This service has been expanded as the 'Digital Storage Media Disposal Service,' which is available to all Yeongju City residents.

Kim Handuk, Head of Public Relations and Information Systems, said, "The threat of personal information leakage is becoming more serious every day," and added, "We will do our utmost to securely protect citizens' personal information, alleviate their concerns, and enhance trust in administrative services."