As hacking incidents continue… Government agencies increase dedicated personnel for personal information protection from 1.1 to 2.1 per agency

The government plans to nearly double the number of dedicated personnel for personal information protection in central administrative institutions. In response to ongoing hacking attacks and personal information leaks targeting public institutions, each institution will now reinforce its staffing, which previously amounted to only about one person per agency.

The Personal Information Protection Commission and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 25th that the 'Revision of the Flexible Staffing System for Securing Dedicated Personnel for Personal Information Protection' was approved at a State Council meeting.

Under the revised plan, 54 dedicated personnel for personal information protection will be assigned to 31 central administrative institutions. The new increase accounts for 39 positions, while 15 existing staff members will be reassigned to focus on personal information protection duties. The average number of dedicated personnel per central government agency will rise from 1.1 to 2.1. This marks the first time in 11 years that dedicated personnel for personal information protection have been expanded across all government agencies, and it is the first such expansion since the establishment of the Personal Information Protection Commission in 2020.

This staffing increase will be applied differently depending on each institution's scale of personal information processing and the sensitivity of the data held. Institutions handling large volumes of personal or sensitive information — including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Justice, the National Police Agency, and the KDCA — will receive concentrated staffing support.

Fourteen institutions that previously had no dedicated personnel at all, such as the Overseas Koreans Agency and the National Heritage Administration, will now be assigned new dedicated staff. The goal is to appoint full-time officers rather than part-time staff who also handle other duties.

Earlier, a comprehensive survey conducted by the Personal Information Protection Commission in February across 653 institutions — including central administrative bodies, local governments, public institutions, and metropolitan and provincial education offices — found that the average number of personnel responsible for personal information protection was 1.9 per institution. Among them, only an average of 0.7 were dedicated solely to personal information protection without other responsibilities.

The Personal Information Protection Commission is advancing this staffing expansion in line with its 'Plan to Shift to a Prevention-Oriented Personal Information Management System,' released last May. After submitting the flexible staffing request in June, the plan underwent review through meetings of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Planning and Budget, and deputy minister-level discussions before being finalized at today's State Council meeting.

The Personal Information Protection Commission also plans to expand dedicated personnel for local governments, public institutions, and education offices. It intends to assess the current state of personal information management in public institutions and develop measures to improve working conditions for responsible staff.

Song Kyung-hee, Chair of the Personal Information Protection Commission, said, "I hope this initiative will serve as an opportunity for each ministry to establish a system that takes responsibility for, monitors, and manages personal information protection within its respective field."