Only Nominally Legal 'Private Detectives'... Exploited for Illegal Heungsinso Operations Outside the System

"Emphasizing Legality but 99% Illegal"
Personal Information Inquiry and Location Tracking
Concerns Over Recurrence of 'Lee Seokjun Incident' Disaster

Private Detective/Photo by Getty Images Bank

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee]"If you only have a mobile phone number, you can track all the registered addresses when receiving parcel deliveries to find out the actual place of residence. Although it is illegal, we thoroughly guarantee (confidentiality) to our clients, so there is no need to worry."

On the 8th, Mr. A, who works at a detective agency located in Cheongju, Chungbuk, responded this way to a request asking, "Is it possible to find out the address of an ex-boyfriend?" Providing someone else's mobile phone number is not illegal, but accessing and collecting personal information, installing tracking devices, and similar actions are all illegal. Despite being legalized as a detective business, they knowingly operate like illegal private investigation agencies.

Private detectives are professionals who perform investigative tasks such as collecting information or verifying facts within the "scope permitted by law" regarding areas overlooked by public authorities in various civil and criminal cases or accidents. Since the amendment and enforcement of the Credit Information Act in August 2020, the term "detective" has been allowed for business use. Although more than two years have passed since its implementation, there remain blind spots in the regulations governing the operation and management of detective businesses. Most illegal private investigation agencies violate laws such as the Personal Information Protection Act, the Act on the Use and Protection of Credit Information, the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, and the Act on the Protection and Use of Location Information.

A representative from a detective agency in Seoul said, "In the industry, it is said that anyone can obtain a private investigator certificate as long as they pay money," adding, "Although they advertise themselves online as verified legal private detective companies, 99% of what they do is illegal." Another illegal private investigation agency stated, "Since there is nothing that can be done legally, 99% of the work should be considered illegal," and added, "After the 'Songpa revenge murder case,' it has become even more difficult to share personal information, and recently, inquiries mostly concern infidelity cases."

Sometimes Leading to Violent Crimes Such as Murder... "Need to Establish Operation and Management Plans for Procedures and Scope of Work"

The Songpa case involved a woman under personal protection whose residence was found, leading to the revenge murder of the victim's mother and leaving her younger brother in critical condition. The perpetrator, Lee Seokjun (25), who is in custody and on trial, was found through police investigation to have paid 500,000 won to private investigator Yoon (38) and received the victim's residential address. Yoon provided personal information obtained illegally 52 times over about 1 year and 5 months since 2020 to third parties for improper purposes and attached tracking devices three times without individual consent. Park (41), a former public official at Gwonseon District Office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, sold personal information to these operators. They are also on trial.

Experts advise that the scope of detectives' work should be clearly defined and managed. Countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan have already introduced certified detective systems conducting fact-finding, identity verification, missing person searches, insurance, and credit investigations. Professor Kwak Daekyung of Dongguk University’s Police and Judicial College said, "It is desirable to collect various information within a legal scope," and added, "As more people obtain detective certificates, there is a need to establish operation and management plans regarding procedures and the scope of work."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.