What Is Personal Information Protection Act (Republic of Korea)?
The Republic of Korea's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) is the country's general framework for protecting personal information and the rights and interests of individuals. The current Korean Law Information Center search identifies Act No. 20897, partially amended on 1 April 2025 with an enforcement date of 2 October 2025. Official PIPC materials describe individual rights to request access, correction or erasure, and suspension of processing, subject to statutory limits. The PIPC also publishes an infringement-report route operated by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), including the 118 Privacy Call Center, and a separate personal-information dispute-mediation system. This page is a source-backed orientation, not legal advice. PIPC states that its English law and guidance materials are convenience translations and that Korean materials should be consulted for complete information. The current consolidated Korean text, implementing rules, sector-specific provisions, cross-border application, remedies, and a broker's route still require claim-by-claim review, so this page remains noindex.
At a glance
- Full name
- Personal Information Protection Act (Republic of Korea)
- Short code
- Korea PIPA
- Jurisdiction
- Republic of Korea
- Enacted
- 2011
- Last major update
- The Korean Law Information Center lists Act No. 20897, partially amended 1 April 2025 and effective 2 October 2025; the Korean text controls
- Regulator
- Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC)
- Private right of action
- Limited
- Statutory citation
- Personal Information Protection Act (Republic of Korea)
Scope, who Korea PIPA covers
Protected data
Data subject rights
Right to request access to personal information
Right to request correction of inaccurate personal information
Right to request erasure, subject to statutory and other-law exceptions
Right to request suspension of processing, subject to statutory exceptions
Right to report an infringement of personal-information rights or interests to the PIPC-designated KISA Privacy Call Center
Right to seek personal-information dispute mediation, including requests related to access, correction, deletion, suspension, or compensation
Right to use the remedies and appeal routes provided by the Act and applicable implementing rules
Notable features
Korea combines a comprehensive personal-information statute with a central PIPC, KISA infringement reporting, and a dedicated dispute-mediation system. PIPC publishes English reference materials, but its official law page warns that the original Korean materials are the more complete source; translated summaries should therefore carry an explicit currency and language boundary.
Enforcement & penalties
Regulator: Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC)
Penalties: PIPA and related rules contain administrative, criminal, and compensation provisions, but the applicable consequence depends on the conduct, actor, data category, and current Korean law. This bounded review does not state a penalty amount or predict enforcement because the current penalty provisions and sector rules remain open for claim-by-claim review.
Private right of action: PIPC materials describe personal-information dispute mediation, compensation-related applications, and civil-suit alternatives when mediation is not accepted. This explainer does not characterize every route as a universal private cause of action; the exact remedy depends on the current Korean Act, implementing rules, facts, and the selected forum.
Relevance to data brokers
A people-search, directory, advertising, or other data intermediary may need to assess PIPA obligations based on its role, processing purpose, source, notice, retention, and applicable sector rules. The official rights materials support asking for access, correction, erasure, or suspension where the statutory requirements are met, but they do not establish one universal broker form or guarantee that a public-record listing will be removed. Identify the current controller, use its current privacy contact, retain delivery evidence, and consider the PIPC/KISA or dispute-mediation routes when appropriate.
Exercise your rights
Review removal workflows for 1009 US/global profiles for $9
OfflistMe helps draft opt-out requests using the details you choose. Review the provider route and legal basis, then send from your own inbox. The tool is not legal advice and does not guarantee a broker's response.
Request Removal NowFAQ
What is South Korea's main privacy law?+
The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) is South Korea's general privacy statute. The Korean Law Information Center currently lists Act No. 20897, partially amended on 1 April 2025 and effective on 2 October 2025; the Korean text and current implementing rules control.
What rights does Korea's PIPA provide?+
PIPC guidance describes rights to request access, correction or erasure, and suspension of processing, subject to statutory limits. The wider Act and implementing rules add detailed conditions, exceptions, and procedural requirements that should be checked for the specific controller and data.
Can I ask a Korean data broker to delete my information?+
You can ask the current controller to correct or erase personal information when the Act's conditions apply. PIPA does not create one universal people-search opt-out form, and a visible listing alone does not establish that deletion must be granted. Use the controller's current privacy route and preserve proof of the request.
How do I report a personal-information infringement in Korea?+
The PIPC publishes an infringement-report system operated by KISA. Its official page lists the Privacy Call Center at 118, the reporting website at privacy.kisa.or.kr, and 118@kisa.or.kr. Check the official page immediately before filing because channels and instructions can change.
What is Korea's personal-information dispute mediation system?+
The PIPC describes a Personal Information Dispute Mediation Committee that can handle disputes about processing, access, correction, deletion, suspension, and compensation-related requests. If both parties accept an established mediation, the PIPC explains that it can have the effect of a settlement before the court; a rejected mediation may lead to other remedies such as a civil suit.
Is there a general PIPA response deadline for every data broker?+
Do not assume one from the PIPC privacy-policy page. That page describes a 10-day handling statement for certain written requests made to the PIPC itself, not a universal deadline for every private controller or broker. The current controller, request type, statutory text, and implementing rules must be checked separately.
Can I rely on an English translation of Korea's PIPA?+
Use the English material as a research aid, not as the controlling text. PIPC states that its documents are produced in Korean in principle and that English translations are provided for convenience; the current Korean statute and regulations should control a legal conclusion.
Does Korea's PIPA guarantee removal from a public-record listing?+
No. Access, correction, erasure, and suspension rights have statutory conditions and exceptions. A broker's source, role, purpose, retention duty, sector rules, and the accuracy or legality of the processing all matter; OfflistMe can help draft a request for review and sending but cannot guarantee a result.
Official sources & citations
- Korean Law Information Center: current Personal Information Protection Act search
- Korean Law Information Center: English translations of privacy laws
- PIPC: Laws and Regulations
- PIPC: Privacy Policy and Individual Rights
- PIPC: Reporting on Infringement of Personal Information
- PIPC: Personal Information Dispute Mediation
Other international privacy regimes
Korea PIPA sits in a global ecosystem of data-protection laws. Compare with other jurisdictions that shape cross-border data flows: