1. Greetings

Dear fellow staff of the Personal Information Protection Commission(PIPC), great to meet you.
I'm Yoon Jong In, chairman of the PIPC.

I worked as a standing commissioner two years ago here in PIPC.
It's the same name as it then was but
the function, authority, and status
of the PIPC has become a completely different new organization.
I'm deeply moved to be the first chairman.
I'm very glad of this tremendous achievement which the PIPC to be an independent authority after nine years of enactment of the Personal Information Protection Act.
 

On the other hand,

I feel a much greater sense of duty and responsibility

as the first chairman of PIPC which is one of the key ministries
of implementing a sought-after data economy activation policy.

I applaud you, PIPC staff for your hard work
to launch a new administrative body.
 

I would like to express my gratitude to

Kim Il-jae, the former acting chairman

for your leadership to help PIPC have launched stably.
 

2. Policy Environment and the role of PIPC

Dear fellow staff!
The policy environment surrounding the new PIPC
is complicated.

First of all, regardless of the field,
the demand for data use is skyrocketing.
Amid the COVID-led global economic downturn,

data drives the digital economy as a new 'oil’.

Finance – healthcare, transportation – communications, etc
by combining data in heterogeneous field,
it is possible to produce completely different products and services.

And together with this,
The voices calling for the rationalization of existing regulations,

which is out of step with the changing reality,

is growing consistently.

Meanwhile, the whole social and technological context of data collected and used is changing.

The COVID has reshaped the world of non-face-to-face platforms and the boundary between online and offline is significantly blurred than ever.

Also, with the fourth industrial revolution,
data-driven technologies such as AI and voice recognition are developing rapidly.

This change
creates expectations for generating new growth engines.
However, it also can result in an indiscriminate collection of personal information,  increased risk of infringement, and etc.

3. Future Policy Direction

Dear fellow staff members!

The PIPC has to achieve a balance between the protection and use of personal information in an environment where various stakeholders surrounding 'personal information' have different perceptions and interpretations.

I will make a strong policy system for personal information

which is safe and reliable for both data subjects and business.
We need to take a look at the key policy directions to make this happen.

First, as a control tower of personal information protection,
we must establish the role and status of the PIPC.
I will build an inter-ministerial cooperation system in order to

consistently drive forward personal information-related policies across a wide range of areas.
Besides, we will also strengthen cooperation with local governments to have

the changes in the system led to the local thoroughly.

Based on these systems,

I will also consider how I can solve the problems related to personal information with one-stop.
On top of that, I will also make efforts to find institutional improvements to enhance the rights of the data subject.

Second, I will set up a foundation for "safe" use of data as soon as possible so that

will support the success of the 'Korean New Deal' which the Korean government proceed

in a full range.
President Moon has a strong willingness of proceeding 'Digital New Deal' to overcome the crisis and to make Korea a leading country in the world.

To ensure the purpose of the amendment to the Three data protection laws in the industrial field,
I will eliminate the uncertainties that companies come across by specifying

criteria for pseudonymization and data combinations.
Meanwhile, I will have a status check for the data processing and conduct strict punishment
in the event of infringement due to insufficient protective measures.
This can eliminate blind spots in personal information protection.

Third, we should also work hard to reinforce our international capabilities related to personal information protection.

We will build a foundation for data competitiveness and the EU entry for business
by completing the EU GDPR adequacy decision as soon as possible.
In the meantime, I will take the lead in strengthening the international cooperation system related to personal information by readjusting of the legal system and actively participating in the process of standardization of the personal information protection-related technologies.

​

4. My request

Dear members of the PIPC,
with the launch of the integrated PIPC today, the structural reorganization has been half-completed.
However, we need to produce content and fill the other half from now on.

I would like my colleagues to keep the three values below in your mind.

The first value is 'Innovation'.
The launch of the integrated commission does not only mean a "change”, but it does fruitful 'innovation'.

Please work with a sense of responsibility that the growth and development of the PIPC are up to you.
Thomas Edison said,  "There's a way to do it better – find it."

You cannot allow a comfortable life to get in the way of innovation.
Although there have been many institutional changes and achievements in the field of personal information protection, please always open up your mind for further developments.

​

The second value is 'Professionalism'.
The success or failure of the personal information policies in the future will depend on every employees' expertise.

​

It's essential to foster your knowledge about related laws and technical environments and to understand the industrial sites well in order to work effectively.

Last but not least, the value I want to emphasize is 'Communication'.
If I work hard alone without listening to the voice of the people and the advice of a colleague next to me, we can never make good policies.
Let's stay unbiased and listen to the opinions from a broad range of stakeholders.

I will take the lead.
As the chairman of the PIPC, I will do my best to lead changes of the paradigm of personal information policies with you.
I will think about organizational support measures for strengthening and developing individual expertise.

I will keep trying to create an environment where everyone can work joyfully
​

5. Wrap Up

As of today, we took the first step together to open the future of the PIPC.
I look forward to your passion and endeavor to implement a personal information protection mission actively and creatively.

Thank you.

​
2020.8.5.

​
Yoon Jong In,

Chairman of the PIPC