Personal data violations were up 54%

Violations of the Personal Information Protection Act and the Use and Protection of Credit Information Act increased sharply last year, highlighting anew the risks to personal information.

According to Choi Jae-cheon, a Democratic lawmaker who is on the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Future Planning and Broadcasting and Communications Committee, the number of Personal Information Protection Act violators was 1,071 in 2013, 54 percent more that the 697 violators in 2012.

The number of the Use and Protection of Credit Information Act violators increased 572 percent to 645 last year. The credit information law violators numbered 145 in 2011 and decreased to 96 in 2012, Choi said after analyzing data from the National Police Agency.

“Financial institutions that didn’t follow basic rules, the government that didn’t properly manage or direct those companies, the courts that didn’t punish companies responsible for personal information leaks have caused this disastrous situation,” Choi said in a release.

The recent incident of leaks of personal information from three local credit card companies - affecting 104 million accounts - was the world’s third worst information breach, according to a report from the Financial Supervisory Service.

BY JOO KYUNG-DON [kjoo@joongang.co.kr]