The proposed 'National Data Basic Law' aims to connect and utilize data distributed across public and private sectors at a national level. The legislation includes the establishment of a National Data Committee to oversee the designation, management, linkage, and utilization of national data.
On September 17, the National Assembly's Finance Committee held a public hearing on the National Data Basic Law, which was introduced by Representative Cho Seung-rae. The Korea Data Agency plans to review the feedback presented during the hearing and incorporate it into the proposed legislation. The hearing featured testimonies from four witnesses recommended by both ruling and opposition parties, followed by a Q&A session with committee members.
The core of the National Data Basic Law is to designate data recognized as necessary for management, linkage, and utilization at the national level as 'national data' and to establish a management system to oversee and coordinate this data. This legal framework aims to facilitate the integration of dispersed public and private data for national use.
According to the proposal, the designation of national data will occur after consultations with the agencies that hold and manage the data, followed by deliberation and approval from the National Data Committee. A national data platform will also be established to collect and manage national data and metadata, supporting data exploration. A consistent classification system will be applied to public and private data, and data quality will be managed through quality assessments.
The National Data Committee will be newly established under the Korea Data Agency. The committee will deliberate and decide on policies regarding the designation, management, linkage, and utilization of national data, and it will have the authority to operate subcommittees and special committees to address specific issues for efficient deliberation.
Every three years, a basic plan for activating national data will be developed, along with annual implementation plans. Surveys will also be conducted to assess the current state of data utilization and the demand for national data designation.
A separate safety management system for data utilization will be established. Institutions that meet specific requirements, including professional personnel and facilities, will be designated as national data utilization centers to support the linkage, integration, processing, and analysis of national data.
Notably, when national agencies link and integrate national data for policy formulation, provisions will allow the utilization centers to handle sensitive information, including personal, credit, tax information, and unique identifiers such as resident registration numbers. Data sets that need to be preserved for repetitive policy formulation, evaluation, or national security will be registered as preserved data sets and managed by the utilization centers.
The proposal also includes the establishment of a special corporation, the 'Korea Data Agency,' to support the management, linkage, and utilization of national data. Additionally, it aims to designate specialized national data institutions and promote research and development related to data protection technologies, metadata standards, training, and international cooperation.
Protection measures in response to the expanded use of data are also included in the legislation. Obligations to protect confidentiality during the processing of national data will be imposed, along with regulations to ensure safety and protective measures. Violations, such as using confidential information for unauthorized purposes or providing it to others, could result in imprisonment for up to three years or fines of up to 30 million won.
Cho Seung-rae, chair of the Finance Committee, emphasized the need for the Korea Data Agency to proactively link public and private data to enhance a data-driven administrative system that can diagnose national issues in advance, urging attention and efforts for the passage of the bill.
Data Agency Director Ahn Hyung-jun stated, "We will thoroughly review the opinions presented at the public hearing and work with the lawmakers to ensure they are reflected in the National Data Basic Law. We will do our best to achieve enactment within this year."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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