Personal Information Protection Commission Launches Digital Forensic Center; First Investigation Target Is Coupang

Direct Collection of Evidence in the Event of a Data Breach

The Personal Information Protection Commission announced on December 10 that it has established a Digital Forensic Center within the Government Seoul Office Building and held a plaque unveiling ceremony.

The Digital Forensic Center, established by the Personal Information Protection Commission, is a specialized facility designed to professionally collect, analyze, and manage digital evidence related to personal information leakage incidents caused by hacking and other means. The project had a total budget of approximately 1.6 billion won and was built over a period of 11 months starting in January this year.

The Personal Information Protection Commission announced on the 10th that it has established a Digital Forensic Center within the Government Seoul Office Building and held a plaque ceremony. Photo by Personal Information Protection Commission

According to the Personal Information Protection Commission, 396 reports of personal information leakage were received from January to November this year. This represents an increase of about 30% compared to the 307 cases reported for the entire previous year. Of these, 253 cases, accounting for about 64%, were confirmed to be caused by hacking, indicating a growing threat to personal information security.

The Personal Information Protection Commission expects that with the establishment of the Digital Forensic Center, it will be able to directly secure digital evidence, such as from personal information processing systems, in the event of large-scale leakage incidents. In addition, the use of dedicated equipment is expected to strengthen the agency’s investigative capabilities regarding the circumstances, scale, and scope of such incidents.

The commission also plans to manage the entire process of collecting, analyzing, storing, and destroying digital evidence in accordance with standardized procedures to ensure the integrity of digital evidence and the reliability of investigative results.

The Personal Information Protection Commission plans to begin full-scale use of the Digital Forensic Center with the investigation into the Coupang personal information leakage incident. The commission has announced a strict policy regarding disciplinary action against Coupang, which was responsible for a large-scale personal information breach.

Song Kyunghee, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, stated, "As digital transformation accelerates across society, incidents of personal information leakage are rapidly increasing, making the acquisition and analysis of digital evidence through forensics a critical factor. With public concern growing due to repeated large-scale breaches involving companies such as SK Telecom and Coupang, we will thoroughly investigate the causes and scale of such incidents through the newly established forensic center. We will hold businesses that violate protection laws strictly accountable and demand fundamental measures to prevent recurrence."

Song Kyunghee, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission (5th from the left), is attending the plaque unveiling ceremony of the Personal Information Protection Commission Digital Forensic Center held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the afternoon of the 10th and posing for a commemorative photo. Provided by the Personal Information Protection Commission

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