Law firm BKL announced on October 30 that it held a seminar on October 29 at its headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, in collaboration with the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM). The seminar, titled "Korea's 2026 PIPA: What Global Companies Need to Know," focused on the significant regulatory changes stemming from the recent amendments to the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) that took effect on September 11, as well as recent trends in enforcement by the Personal Information Protection Commission.
The seminar aimed to share practical response strategies for global companies, particularly addressing key issues that directly impact corporate management, such as increased fines for data breaches and heightened responsibilities for CEOs and Chief Privacy Officers (CPOs).
In the first session, foreign attorney Lim Seul-ki, based in Washington D.C. and England & Wales, presented on "Key Amendments to the Personal Information Protection Act and Their Impact on Businesses."
Lim explained the strengthened penalties for serious and repeated violations, which can now reach up to 10% of total revenue, the expanded notification obligations regarding potential data breaches, and the increased responsibilities for CEOs and CPOs. He emphasized the necessity for companies to proactively invest in data protection and to enhance their internal management systems in light of the stricter regulatory environment.
The second session featured foreign attorney Jung Ho-young, based in California and New York, who analyzed recent enforcement cases and investigation trends of the Personal Information Protection Commission under the topic "Major Enforcement Cases and Investigation Trends of the Korean Personal Information Protection Commission."
Jung highlighted a case where a major domestic e-commerce platform was fined a total of 624.6 billion won, along with enforcement examples from key sectors such as telecommunications, retail, and finance. He pointed out recurring violation types, including inadequate access management and delays in breach notifications. He also introduced the commission's plans to reform its investigation system focusing on serious cases, stressing the importance of companies strengthening their preventive measures and incident response systems.
James Kim, chairman and CEO of AMCHAM, stated in his opening remarks, "As cross-border data movement and the use of AI expand, managing and protecting information safely becomes increasingly important. A clear and predictable regulatory environment must support companies in fulfilling their data protection obligations while operating and innovating globally."
He added, "AMCHAM will continue to engage in constructive dialogue with businesses and policymakers to foster an environment where global companies can invest and grow sustainably in Korea."
Lee Jun-ki, managing partner of BKL, also noted in his welcoming remarks that with the recent amendments to the Personal Information Protection Act, corporate responsibilities for data protection have significantly increased. He stated, "Data protection has become a core issue directly linked to corporate management strategy and risk management, beyond mere compliance with regulations. BKL will provide practical legal advice and actionable response strategies to help domestic and international companies proactively adapt to the changing regulatory landscape."
Meanwhile, BKL's TMT group advises domestic and international companies on compliance and regulatory responses across the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, including data protection, information security, artificial intelligence (AI), data governance, and platform regulation. They offer comprehensive legal services related to issues such as establishing internal governance, responding to data breach incidents, and addressing investigations and sanctions from regulatory authorities in line with changes in domestic and international data regulations, including the Personal Information Protection Act.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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