By Kim Da-ye
Both public institutions and private companies will be fined up to 500 million won from August for leaks of resident registration numbers without proper security measures.
They will be also banned from collecting resident registration numbers without appropriate legal grounds, the Ministry of Security and Public Administration said Monday.
“There is a need to normalize the custom of collecting resident registration numbers, so that the public feels safe from leaks and abuses of ID numbers,” said Kim Sung-ryul, assistant minister of the creative government and organization management office of the ministry.
The revision of Personal Information Protection Act will come into effect in Aug. 7. A guideline on the ban on obtaining and keeping ID numbers was distributed Monday to public institutions and private businesses.
Collecting resident registration numbers will be allowed only when certain laws demand it and it is “clearly” required for the “benefit of one’s life, body and wealth,” the ministry said.
For example, ID numbers will be required in financial transactions under the Real Name Financial Transaction Act. When companies hire new employees, they can collect their ID numbers for income tax payments.
However, car rental companies, retailers that run membership programs, hotels and long-term parking service providers cannot collect resident registration numbers because there is no legal ground as well as an “unavoidable need,” according to the ministry’s guideline.
In the event of the leak of this information because of improper security, the ministry will impose up to 500 million won in fines. The security measures include using security technology, hiring personnel to manage personal information and keeping the data in a safe place.
When organizations violate the law, the security ministry will put their heads and responsible executives on the list of people to be disciplined
Resident registration numbers currently kept by public and private institutions must be removed within two years from the date the revision takes effect ― on Aug. 6, 2016.
According to the ministry, 88.1 percent of public institutions and 61.5 percent of private companies were collecting resident registration numbers as of 2013.
