Personal Information Protection Act Amendment Allowing Use of Personal Data for AI Training Passes Political Affairs Committee

Political Affairs Committee Passes Amendment on May 14

Prior Review and Ongoing Oversight by Personal Information Protection Commission

"Proposed to Foster Sovereign AI"

The amendment to the Personal Information Protection Act, which allows the use of personal data for artificial intelligence (AI) training, passed the Political Affairs Committee at the National Assembly on May 14.

The main point of the amendment is that if it is difficult to improve AI performance using anonymized or pseudonymized personal data, personal information may be used for purposes other than originally intended, provided that the technology development is for the public interest or to enhance societal benefits.

On the 14th, a plenary meeting of the Political Affairs Committee was held at the National Assembly. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

To utilize personal information for AI technology development, the Personal Information Protection Commission must first evaluate the risks, including the rights of the data subjects, and then review and approve the use in advance. Subsequently, regular management and supervision by the Commission are required.

Min Byungdeok, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who sponsored the amendment, stated during the plenary session of the Political Affairs Committee held that day, "Looking at international precedents, I proposed this bill to break through the barriers hindering us from fostering 'sovereign AI.'"

In addition, the Political Affairs Committee passed an amendment to the Capital Markets Act, making it mandatory to apply a 'fair value' that reflects not only the stock price (market price) but also asset and profit values in the event of a merger between listed companies.

An amendment to the Insurance Business Act was also passed, adding 'insurance fraud-related laws' and 'insurance-related financial regulatory laws' as new grounds for disqualification of insurance agents, corporate insurance agencies, and executives of corporate insurance brokerages.

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