Regulations › Rest of world › South Korea

PIPA

Personal Information Protection Act

In force privacy

WhenIn effect since 30 September 2011

Who enforces itPersonal Information Protection Commission (PIPC)

Who it applies toAll public and private personal information controllers, including foreign businesses that serve Korean users (which may need a domestic agent).

Tell the regulatorReport to PIPC within 72 hours where 1,000+ persons, sensitive or unique identifiers, or exter… DPO requiredEvery controller must designate a chief privacy officer RegistrationPublic institutions must register personal information files with the PIPC; no registration fo… Transfers abroadTransfer abroad needs separate consent, a statutory basis, contract necessity with disclosure,… Request deadlineAccess must be granted within 10 days of receiving the request Maximum finePenalty surcharge up to 3% of total revenue (excluding unrelated revenue)

Korea combines GDPR-style rights with unusually granular, item-by-item consent rules and a mandatory chief privacy officer for every controller. Enforcement is heavy: revenue-based surcharges now up to 10%, statutory damages and criminal penalties.

57% coveredif you already meet GDPR. 9 requirements to work on.See the gap → 7 of 21requirements scored most demanding, each cited to the law.See all 21 → 126 sectionsindexed by topic, each linked to the official text.Read section by section →

The Association's practitioner brief for this law is on the way; the priority laws come first.

Read the official text

Recent developments

Nothing reported yet. Regulatory Watch lists new rules, enforcement and court decisions as they arrive.

Sources

Regulator Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) · Official text or regulator
Text of the law Korean (official); English translation by KLRI/MOLEG for reference only · Official text or regulator

Dates and status checked against these sources on 18 October 2026. This page explains the law for practitioners; it is not legal advice.

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