Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
Rights watchdog calls for improvement in investigative bodies' phone log surveillance
By Lee Hyo-jin
The nation's human rights watchdog has called on investigative bodies to improve their phone log examination systems, expressing concerns about recent controversies surrounding the alleged surveillance activities of a state-run anti-corruption agency.
Song Doo-hwan, the chief of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), issued a statement, Thursday, urging the government and the National Assembly to introduce proper systems and legislative measures to prevent human rights violations in telecommunication surveillance by law enforcement authorities, including the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO).
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea / Korea Times file
By Lee Hyo-jin
“It cannot be denied that collecting basic information about criminal suspects is essential for investigative bodies to realize public justice,” he said. “But the provision of personal data such as phone records should be strictly limited only to those necessary for the investigation.”
Under the Telecommunication Business Act, telecommunications operators may hand over the phone records of their subscribers upon the request of law enforcement agencies. The records include subscribers' names, resident registration numbers and addresses, along with the phone numbers of incoming and outgoing calls.
But the NHRCK pointed out that the current laws, which only stipulate that “collection of telecommunications data is allowed for trials and criminal investigations,” are too broad.
The absence of specific guidelines may pose a threat to basic human rights, including the right to self-determination with respect to information and privacy rights, it said.
According to data from the Ministry of Science and ICT, telecom companies handed over nearly 5.5 million phone records in 2020, and more than 2.5 million phone logs in the first half of 2021.
The commission called for the legislation of specific measures on data provision, including clauses that phone users should be informed that their phone records have been checked by the authorities.
The agency added that the United Nations has recommended multiple times ― in 2015, 2017 and 2019 ― that the Korean authorities improve the relevant measures.
“Such practices that occur not only at the CIO but also at other investigative bodies, including the prosecution and the police, should be addressed immediately,” it added.
The NHRCK's recommendation came after the CIO came under fire for its alleged surveillance activities of opposition lawmakers, journalists and their family members.
It was found that the agency had checked the telecommunications information of over 80 lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), its presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, reporters from local conservative media outlets and foreign correspondents.
Following a backlash from the lawmakers and journalists, the CIO later explained that its data requests were legitimate, and were made because these people had phone conversations with people linked to its ongoing probes. But it did not disclose what the investigations were about and how the owners of the phone numbers were related to the cases.