New Bill Empowers South Korea’s Ministry of Science to Investigate Hacking Incidents: What You Need to Know

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Kim Jang-gyeom, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, on March 30 introduced a bill to grant the Ministry of Science and ICT special judicial police powers to investigate hacking incidents.

As a member of the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, Kim said he sponsored an amendment to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection to that effect. The amendment would allow the ministry to designate ‘investigators’ from among its officials and vest them with special judicial police authority to collect evidence and conduct investigations into hacking incidents. It would also permit direct investigations when companies flout government data-preservation orders.

The bill would also appoint ‘investigators’ from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), and other related agencies to assist incident investigators. The change is intended to enable experts to participate actively in cybercrime probes.

Under current law, the government finds it difficult to compel investigations when companies refuse to cooperate or conceal evidence. Last year, several major telecom firms either failed to comply with government data-preservation orders or scrapped servers that contained traces of hacking before probes could begin.

Kim said, “Granting special judicial police authority will prompt the government to respond more forcefully, and companies will, in turn, invest more in security and exercise greater caution.”