[2026 Parliamentary Audit] Commission: "We will intervene if hacking compensation falls short"... Google, X and other platforms under scrutiny

Chairman Kim Jongcheol: "Strengthening User Protection Measures"
Criticism of X's Illegal Content and Google's Fees Continues
Talks on Protecting Teens on SNS... "Exploring Legislation"

The Broadcasting, Media and Communications Commission said it would directly verify whether companies’ compensation for damages caused by hacking incidents is adequate and intervene if it falls short, strengthening effective remedies for victims.

Kim Jongcheol, chairperson of the Broadcasting and Media Communications Commission, answers questions from members of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee during a comprehensive audit held at the National Assembly on the 22nd. Yonhap News.

Kim Jongcheol, chairman of the Broadcasting, Media and Communications Commission, said during a comprehensive parliamentary audit by the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee on October 22, “The Commission is responsible for post-incident remedies for damages and protecting users after a hacking incident.” He added, “There are areas where we can intervene if compensation or user protection measures are inadequate. We will strengthen our response system to ensure that the relevant measures are fully implemented.”

During the audit, concerns were raised that the Commission’s user protection measures were inadequate amid a series of hacking and personal information breaches at telecommunications companies and online platforms. Cho Kyung-tae of the People Power Party said, “The Ministry of Science and ICT reviews restrictions on recruiting new subscribers and waivers of contract termination fees, while the Personal Information Protection Commission imposes fines and orders corrective measures. The role of the Broadcasting, Media and Communications Commission is not very apparent.”

Illegal and harmful content on global platforms and in-app payment fees also came under scrutiny. In particular, regarding the circulation of posts about drugs and prostitution on X, Cho asked X why it was not being sanctioned in South Korea, unlike in Japan.

Catherine Lin, X’s senior director and head of global government affairs and market development for the Asia-Pacific region, said, “Under our terms of service, we apply the same filters across all countries, languages and regions.” She added, “A dedicated team detects and removes harmful posts in real time, but evolving malicious behavior makes it difficult to respond.”

Cho urged the Broadcasting, Media and Communications Deliberation Commission to use every available means to take action if the situation had not improved by the end of the year. Lin did not specify a timeline but said, “We will make further efforts.”

Regarding Google’s in-app payment fees, Assemblywoman Lee Jin-sook reprimanded Yoon Gu, president of Google Korea, saying, “The average cost of in-app payments is around 4% to 6%, yet Google charges a high fee of 30% in South Korea.” Yoon responded, “97% of app developers in South Korea pay no fees at all. Of the remaining 3%, 99% pay a fee of 15%.”

Discussions also continued on regulating teenagers’ use of social networking services (SNS). Kim Nam-guk of the Democratic Party of Korea proposed strengthening companies’ responsibility to ensure teenagers can use SNS safely, rather than imposing a blanket ban on their use.

Kim agreed, saying, “The general view is that uniform, across-the-board regulation is not appropriate.” He added, “We are holding discussions with teenagers, parents and education experts,” and said, “We will explore legislative measures after gathering opinions and holding public consultations.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.