Regulator vows tougher penalties over repeated leaks of personal data

Mobile phone stores in Seoul / Yonhap

The data protection regulator said Thursday it seeks to impose heavier fines for companies over repeated data leaks and will consider introducing punitive fines in an effort to toughen personal data safeguards.

The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) unveiled the push for strengthened data protection measures after a major leak of customer data at SK Telecom, the country's largest wireless carrier, earlier this year.

Under the measures, the regulator said it seeks to levy stronger fines for companies that repeatedly suffer data leaks from the same cause, adding that it is considering implementing punitive fines in the mid- to long term.

It also seeks to offer incentives, such as reduced fines, for companies that take preemptive safety measures, while making efforts to increase monitoring of leaked user data, such as on the dark web.

The privacy watchdog said it would work with companies to come up with reasonable standards for the measures before their full implementation through legal revisions.

Last month, the PIPC fined SK Telecom a record 134.8 billion won ($97 million) over the massive data breach, which affected its entire 23 million user base.