Recent Trends of Law & Regulation in Korea

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Recent Trends of Law & Regulation in Korea
Recent Trends of
Law & Regulation in Korea
Vol.30   Autumn 2018                                                 ISSN 2288-4041

Expert Column
-	Current Trends in Korea’s Medical Disputes
  and Dispute Settlement System
 Interview to the Korean Legal System
Introduction
-	-	
      Korea Institute
    Introduction      of Intellectual
                  to the              Property
                          Foreign Legal Consultant System in Korea
 Ministry of Justice at a Glance
Interview
-	-	
    UGNISDR
       overnment
            OfficeFund  Recovery Litigation
                    for Northeast Asia and Team
    Global Education and Training Institute
Recent Trends of Law & Regulation in Korea
Recent Trends of                                                    Vol.30 Autumn 2018   Publisher                                            Feature contributors
                                                Law & Regulation in Korea
                                                                                                                                         Dr. Park Sang-ki /
                                                                                                                                         Minister of Justice                                                            Interview - Ryu, Taekyu
                                                                                                                                         Editor                                                                         Ryu, Taekyu is the Vice President for Research at the Korea Institute of Intellectual
                                                                                                                                         Lee, Yonggu /                                                                  Property. Vice President Ryu is an expert in technology management. Mr. Ryu has
                                                                                                                                         Deputy Minister for Legal Affairs                                              conducted various researches in the fields of policies and strategies on intellectual
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        property, technology transition, technology valuation and more. He majored in
                                                                                                                                         Director
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        electrical engineering at Seoul National University and holds a master’s degree and
                                                                                                                                         Han, Changwan / cwhan@korea.kr
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        a Ph.D. in Technology Management, Economics and Policy from the same school.
                                                                                                                                         Vice Director
                                                                                                                                         Sanghyun Kim / sk5677@korea.kr

                                                                                                                                         Translator                                                                     Ministry of Justice at a Glance - Hwang, Jin A
                                                                                                                                         Rim, Na-hyun / rim1124@korea.kr
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Hwang, Jin A is a Prosecutor at the Litigation Division within the Legal Affairs
                                                                                                                                         Kim, A Rong / arongkim22@korea.kr
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Bureau of the Ministry of Justice. Prior to working at the Ministry of Justice,
                                                                                                                                         Special Thanks to                                                              Prosecutor Hwang served as prosecutor in Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        She passed the 47th National Bar Exam and completed the Judicial Training &
                                                                                                                                         Kwang Woo Kim         Eunchai Oh
                                                                                                                                                               Yeon Soo Cho                                             Research Institute (38th). Ms. Hwang majored in law at Hanyang University and
                                                                                                                                         Yeojin Kim
                                                                                                                                         Jaehyun Lee           Dahyun Kim                                               completed the visiting scholar program at Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne.
                                                                                                                                         Jeongmin Lee          Chanyong Kwon
                                                                                                                                         Jueun Lee             Yejina Kim
                                                                                                                                         Soyoung Lim           Chonghoon Lee
                                                     Law and Regulation                                                                  Jiheon Park           Deulre Min
                                                                                                                                         So Yeon Park          Minseong Kwon
                                                04 Enactments and Amendments of Law
                                                                                                                                         Suebin Park           Hyeona Kim
                                                12 Court Decisions                                                                       Yoonjin Park          Soyeon Shim

                                                     Interview
                                                24 Korea Institute of Intellectual Property (KIIP)
                                                                                                                                         Edited in International Legal Affairs Division
                                                     Recent Events                                                                       Designed by AandF communication
                                                30 	Minors Who Were ‘Sexually Violated’ Are Entitled to Claim for Damages              Published by Ministry of Justice
Cover Story
                                                      Even After Reaching Adulthood
The cover photo of the 30th Recent Trends
                                                31 10 years since the Introduction of Smart Entry Service and the Number of
of Law & Regulation in Korea depicts the
colors of fall foliage in Korea and its blue          Users Exceeds 100 million
sky. Since mountains take a great part of
landscape in Korea, the breathtaking fall
foliage is definitely Korea’s main attraction
                                                     Policies of the Ministry of Justice
in the fall. Some of the most popular           32 	MOJ Holds Exhibition of Works by Crime Victims                                      Ministry of Justice, Government Complex
mountains to enjoy the magnificent                                                                                                       Gwacheon, 47 Gwanmoonro, Gwacheon-si,
scenery are Seoraksan, Naejangsan and           33 	Crime Victim Support Centers
Daedunsan.
                                                                                                                                         Gyeonggi-do, 427-720, Republic of Korea
                                                    Ministry of Justice at a Glance
                                                34 Government Fund Recovery Litigation Team                                              TEL: 82-2-2110-3661
Photograph by                                                                                                                            FAX: 82-2-2110-0327
Choi, Cho
Deputy Director
International Legal Affairs Division
                                                     Law in Your Daily Life
                                                38 A Wind of Change in Korea’s Working Atmosphere: the New 52 Hour Limit

                                                     Living in Korea                                                                     Emblem
                                                                                                                                                                                          The Republic of Korea government has changed its             was inspired by the font used in the “Hunminjeongeum ”
                                                42 Summer Public Holidays in Korea                                                                                                        official “government identity.” The new logo conveys         (1446), the original Hangeul text, in consideration of the
                                                                                                                                                                                          the dynamism and enthusiasm of the country with the          harmony embodied in the taegeuk circle. Starting
                                                     List of Useful Organizations                                                                                                         three colors of blue, red and white. It echoes off Korea’s   March 2016, the new logo is used at all 22 ministries
                                                                                                                                                                                          national flag Taegeukgi with the taegeuk circular swirl      including the Ministry of Justice and 51 central
                                                44 Government Departments
                                                                                                                                                                                          and the blank canvas embodies in white. The typeface         government agencies.
                                                47 Readers Survey

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Autumn 2018 Vol.30
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Recent Trends of Law & Regulation in Korea
Recent Trends of Law & Regulation in Korea |        Law and Regulation

                                                                                        The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea

     Enactments and
     Amendments of Law                                                                                                                                     shall be decided by the application of the guardian, the guardian
                                                                                                                                                           supervisor, ward of court, and etc.                                       03 Special Act on Remedy for Damage Caused

                                                                                                                                                           C The decision to dismiss the application for change may be               by the April 16 Sewol Ferry Disaster,
                                                                      NOTE: The translation is NOT official. It only serves as a guideline.
                                                                                                                                                           immediately appealed by the guardian, the guardian supervisor, or the     Assistance Therefor, etc.
                                                                                                                                                           ward of court.                                                            Act No. 15461, Mar. 13, 2018, Partial Amendment
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Legislative Intent
                                                                                                                                                           D If the family court makes a judgment on parental rights, the mother     The State shall do its best to recover the remaining bodies and the act
01 Family Litigation Act                                                                                                                                   will be able to hear the statements of her ex-spouse and the adult        allows the State to exercise compulsory right to the person who
Act No. 14961, Oct. 31, 2017, Partial Amendment                                                                                                            guardian.                                                                 provided the cause of the accident to fully compensate for the cost of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     salvaging Sewol Ferry. Furthermore, the act provides a basis for
Legislative Intent                                                                                                                                                                                                                   compensation for any damages caused by oil pollution from the salvage
For children born within 300days from the termination of the marital                                                                                       02 Act on the Promotion of Collaborative                                  operation.
relationship, getting permission from the family court to exclude
paternal presumption from the mother or the mother’s ex-husband is
                                                                                                                                                           Cooperation between Large Enterprises and                                 Main Contents
simpler than filing a denial of paternity. Furthermore, according to the                                                                                   Small-Medium Enterprises                                                  A The purpose of this act is to commemorate the victims of the
amendment of civil law which allows the biological father to recognize                                                                                     Act No. 15081, Nov. 28, 2017, Partial Amendment                           disaster following the submergence of the Sewol ferry in the sea near
his child, court jurisdiction should be selected to examine the permission                                                                                 Legislative Intent                                                        Jodo-myeon, Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do on April 16, 2014, and to promote
to grant denial of paternity case. Also, ex-husbands should be allowed                                                                                     In order to activate win-win settlement, a definition clause on win-win   community recovery in the disaster areas by providing the persons who
to hear the statement made in the corresponding trial in order to protect                                                                                  settlement has been newly established. In the case where the entrusted    suffered physical, mental or economic damage with prompt relief and
their procedural interests.                                                                                                                                company has received a settlement payment in a win-win settlement         assistance and mental stability, etc. (Article 1)
                                                                              welfare person and enhance the supervisional function of the court.          system and in addition to providing legal grounds for rewards and
In principle, the cases related to guardianship after the commencement                                                                                     taxation support for the proliferation of win-win settlement systems.     B The obligation of the State to prevent disasters in advance and to
of judgments such as the initiation of guardianship shall be                  Main Contents                                                                The purpose of this act is to provide a basis for the joint growth        protect the people from dangers of disasters is confirmed. April 16
jurisdictionalized by the family court, and if necessary for the benefit of   A Permission of denial of paternity will be added to case in non-litigious   committee to request large companies and small and medium-sized           Sewol Ferry Disaster Compensation Deliberative Committee (hereinafter
the ward. It is possible to change the jurisdiction to the family court at    family case and the jurisdiction of the corresponding case shall be at the   enterprises organizations to submit necessary materials or to attend      referred to as “Deliberative Committee”) shall be established under the
the address of the judge by the decision of the family court in               family court of the child’s address.                                         meetings so that the consensus of appropriate industries can be drawn     Prime Minister to deliberate and adopt a resolution on matters
accordance with the application of the directorship or the guardian,                                                                                       smoothly.                                                                 concerning compensation, etc. with regard to the April 16 Sewol ferry
guardian supervisor, or ward of court to protect the interests of the         B If it is necessary for the benefit of the ward, the court’s jurisdiction                                                                             disaster. (Article 5)

Recent Trends of Law & Regulation in Korea                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Autumn 2018 Vol.30
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C Compensation refers to the compensation prescribed under relevant            submit it to the Deliberative Committee. An applicant shall file the        who were in the second year at Danwon High School at the time of the        rewards, living allowance, etc., or other supports in accordance with this
Acts, such as the Civil Act and the State Compensation Act for the             application within six months after this Act is enforced, while any         April 16 Sewol Ferry Disaster. (Article 28)                                 Act, or where the payment or support is made by mistake, etc., (it)
damage incurred from the April 16 Sewol ferry disaster (including oil          applicants who cannot file an application within this period due to                                                                                     makes it possible for the State, etc., to recover the corresponding
spills and cargo damage). Pursuant to Article 469(1) of the Civil Act, the     extenuating circumstances, such as, overseas domicile for a certain         O The Minister of Education and the superintendent of education shall       amount. If the refund is not made within a designated period of time,
State may pay damage compensation by subrogation, and shall ensure             period of time, shall file an application within six months from the date   formulate and implement a plan to support education normalcy for            the state, etc. shall collect it according to examples of disposition of
that ex gratia payments (including an amount determined to be paid to          the circumstances cease to exist. (Article 10)                              Danwon High School. The plan shall include matters but not limited to       delinquent national tax or local tax (Article 46).
each sufferer pursuant to relevant Acts from the funds acquired for the                                                                                    matters concerning improvement of the educational environment such
April 16 Sewol ferry disaster) be made to the sufferers. The specifics,        H The Deliberative Committee may file an application for                    as school facilities, equipment, etc. and matters concerning the securing   U A person who receives or assists others to receive living allowance
such as, the standards and procedure for making ex gratia payments,            re-deliberation from the Committee within 30 days of receipt of the         and placement of school faculty and preferential treatment. (Article 33)    under this Act in a false or other dishonest manner shall be punished by
etc. shall be determined at the Deliberative Committee in consideration        original copy of the written decision. (Article 14)                                                                                                     imprisonment for not more than 5 years or a fine not exceeding 50
of the relationship with the victim, degree of damage, circumstance of                                                                                     P In consideration of the special characteristics of sufferers and the      million won (Article 47).
fostering, fulfillment of the duty to support, etc. (Article 6)                 I If an applicant accepts the determination of the Deliberative            communities of the Ansan region, the State shall establish an Ansan
                                                                               Committee on the payment of compensation or ex gratia payments, a           trauma center to comprehensively manage the mental health of
D The State shall compensate for losses sustained by the following             judicial compromise under the Civil Procedure Act shall be deemed to        sufferers. The State, etc. shall operate the center and matters necessary   04 Enforcement Decree of the Act on Support
persons: fishermen who directly engaged in the rescue or settlement of         have been reached between the State and the applicant. (Article 16)         for the establishment and operations of the center, and delegation of the
the April 16 Sewol ferry disaster, who suffered damage from restrictions                                                                                   operation thereof shall be provided for by Presidential Decree. (Article
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       of Disaster Medical Expenses
                                                                               J The State shall be subrogated to a claim for compensation against a                                                                                   Presidential Decree No. 29001, Jun. 26, 2018, Enactment
on fishing activities or suffered loss of fishing tackles due to search                                                                                    35)
activities, etc.; Jindo-gun residents who suffered losses due to reduction     person other than the State for up to the amount paid to the applicant                                                                                  Legislative Intent
in marine products following the April 16 Sewol ferry disaster, or who         according to the determination on payment and the determination on          Q To commemorate the victims of the April 16 Sewol ferry disaster and       The Act on Supporting Catastrophic Medical Expenses (No. 15349;
suffered damages to fishery production due to relinquished fishing             temporary payment. (Article 18)                                             to conduct education to prevent maritime accidents, the State, etc. shall   Announced on January 16, 2018; enforcement effective on July 1,
opportunities or poor sales of marine products. The standards for                                                                                          implement creation of a memorial park, construction of a memorial           2018) has been enacted in order to guarantee access to medical care
arranging the compensation amount shall be provided for by Presidential        K The State and the local government (hereafter, “the State, etc.”)         museum, erection of a monument, etc.; in case where local governments       and to contribute to the protection of health by providing medical
Decree in consideration of the causation between the damage and the            shall devise measures to support sufferers from the recovery of physical,   implement such projects, the State shall provide support. (Article 36)      expenses for where health insurance does not cover, so as to prevent
April 16 Sewol ferry disaster, the degree of damage, etc. (Article 7)          mental or economic harm and shall provide comprehensive support such                                                                                    problems of not receiving sufficient treatment due to economic burden
                                                                               as education, health, welfare, care, employment and living expenses to      R To efficiently promote support for sufferers and projects to              when medical expenses exceed patient's economic capacity to pay
 E Deliberative Committee shall consist of 15 or less members,                 sufferers so that such sufferers may arrange the necessary living           commemorate victims under this Act, a committee for support for             due to diseases, injuries, etc., and the act is intended to establish
including 1 chairperson. Members shall be commissioned or appointed            conditions to attain mental stability. Upon establishment of support        sufferers and commemoration of victims of the April 16 Sewol ferry          matters delegated by law and matters necessary for its
by the Prime Minister among the following persons: judges                      measures, proactive cooperation shall occur in the examination              disaster (hereafter, “support and commemorative committee”) shall be        implementation by setting the scope of medical expenses and disaster
recommended by the Minister of the National Court Administration;              conducted by the support subcommittee established according to Article      established under the Prime Minister. The chairperson of the committee      medical expenses, the scope of support targets, criteria for supporting
licensed attorneys recommended by the president of the Korean Bar              16 of the Special Act on Investigating the Truth of the April 16 Sewol      shall by chaired by the Minister of the Office for Government Policy        disaster medical expenses, method and procedure for payment.
Association as prescribed by Article 78 of Attorney-at-law Act; public         Ferry Disaster and Building a Safe Society. (Article 20)                    Coordination. The support and commemorative committee shall have a
officials belonging to the Senior Executive Service in the Ministry of                                                                                     sectional committee to support sufferers and a sectional committee to       Main Contents
Strategy and Finance, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Justice,      L The State shall devise and implement special support measures to          commemorate victims to allocate its duties. The committee shall consist     A Scope of Medical Expenses (Article 2)
the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Health and            revitalize the stagnant economy of city of Ansan (Ansan-si) and Jindo       of not more than 20 members including a chairperson and the                 The medical expenses are deemed to be the costs that he or she fully
Welfare, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, or public                   County (Jindo-gun) regarding the April 16 Sewol ferry disaster. (Article    chairperson shall appoint chiefs and members of sectional committees        pays for the matter not covered by the health care benefits or medical
prosecutors; persons with expertise and abundant experience in                 22)                                                                         from among its members. (Article 37)                                        benefits under the National Health Insurance Act or the Medical Care
relevant fields, such as, compensation administration, etc. (Article 8)                                                                                                                                                                Assistance Act and costs he or she partially pays in the costs of health
                                                                               M The State may provide cost-of-living subsidies and medical expenses       S (It) makes it possible for the state to commemorate the victims of the    care benefits or medical benefits, except for items that lack the needs
 F Deliberative Committee shall conduct fact-finding surveys as                support to sufferers. The State may support sufferers (including the        April 16th Sewol Ferry disaster by carrying out projects such as            for support such as cosmetics, plastic surgery, and medical care for the
deemed necessary for deliberating or adopting a resolution on matters          spouses of lineal descendants and the spouses of siblings of victims) the   operation and management of memorial facilities and implementation of       prevention of diseases.
concerning compensation or temporary payment. Where deemed                     expenses needed for the medical checkup or treatment of any physical        memorial ceremonies, and to contribute to or support the Foundation
necessary to conduct such surveys, the Committee may request the               or mental illnesses, etc., aggravated by the April 16 Sewol Ferry           (which, as a non-profit corporation established pursuant to the Civil Act   B Scope of Disaster Medical Expenses (Article 3)
submission of necessary data or cooperation from relevant                      disaster. (Article 23 and Article 25)                                       Article 32, is selected by the SupportㆍMemorial Commission pursuant         The Disaster Medical Expenses shall cover cases where, in the case of
administrative agencies, individuals, enterprises or organizations, etc.                                                                                   to Article 37(1)(iii); hereinafter referred to as the “4ㆍ16 Foundation”)    the recipients and second-lowest income bracket under the National
(Article 9)                                                                    N The State may subsidize tuition fees, etc. of any of the students who     established to contribute to the prevention of the recurrence of major      Basic Living Security Act, the total costs of one inpatient treatment at a
                                                                               attended Danwon High School in Ansan-si, Gyoenggi-do (hereafter,            catastrophes for 5 years after its establishment (Article 40).              medical institution, the cost of outpatient treatment for a serious
G Persons who intend to receive compensation or ex gratia payments             “Danwon High School”) at the time of the April 16 Sewol ferry disaster                                                                                  disease such as cancer within a year or the sum of expenses for
(hereinafter referred to as an “applicant”) shall file a written application   as stated by Presidential Decree. The heads of schools under Article 2 of   T In any one of the cases where a person received in a false or other       inpatient treatment and outpatient treatment exceed the amount
with evidentiary documents prescribed by Presidential Decree and               the Higher Education Act may administer special screening to students       dishonest manner financial aid such as damages, compensation and            prescribed and announced by the Minister of Health and Welfare to the

Recent Trends of Law & Regulation in Korea                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Autumn 2018 Vol.30
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Recent Trends of Law & Regulation in Korea
B The Mayor of Metropolitan Autonomous CitiesㆍGovernor of Social             outlines within 30 days on the other hand, the amended act aims to
                                                                                                                                                        Self-governing Provinces ㆍMayorsㆍGovernors ㆍHead of Boroughs may             prevent negative inter-Korean relations from rendering such outlines
                                                                                                                                                        decide to omit part of the relevant investigation and whether or not to      or annual agendas ineffective and to form sustainable inter-Korean
                                                                                                                                                        pay child allowances if the level of income and property assessed -          relations.
                                                                                                                                                        based on the data provided by relevant agencies or financial institutions
                                                                                                                                                        - is below a certain standard (Article 9).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     07 Vocational Education and Training
                                                                                                                                                        C Child allowances shall be paid to the child or his/ her guardian on a
                                                                                                                                                        regular basis every month, in cash, from the month in which the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Promotion Act
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Act No. 15525, Mar. 27, 2018, Partial Amendment
                                                                                                                                                        application for the payment of child allowance is received until the
                                                                                                                                                        delivery of the month in which the child’s 6th birthday arrives, but may     Legislative Intent
                                                                                                                                                        also be paid in any other method prescribed by the ordinance of the          The recent outbreaks of safety hazards and violation of rights
                                                                                                                                                        local government (Article 10).                                               regarding vocational education trainees at industrial sites calls for
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     reformations to the current system of vocational education field
                                                                                                                                                        D In cases which the guardian commits a crime of child abuse and is          training.
                                                                                                                                                        ordered to take provisional measures or any other court orders to protect    In response to this, this amendment serves to incorporate within the
                                                                                                                                                        the abused child etc. and the recipient child must be protected, the child   basic agenda for vocational education training the protection of the
                                                                                                                                                        allowance may be paid to another guardian (Article 12).                      basic rights and safety of vocational education trainees, to exclude
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     those trainees which are still enrolled in school as defined by the
extent of not exceeding the standard median income of a one-person                                                                                      E In the event that the recipient child stays overseas for more than 90      Elementary and Secondary Education Act from mandatory field
household, and in the case of others, the amount prescribed and              05 The Child Allowance Act                                                 days, the payment of child allowance shall be suspended from the             training, to make possible the imposition of administrative fines on
announced by the Minister of Health and Welfare considering the size of      Act No. 15539, Mar. 27, 2018, Enactment                                    month following the month in which the cause occurred to the month in        industrial companies or entities in charge of field training for any
the family that he or she is included and its annual income, etc.                                                                                       which the cause disappears (Article 13).                                     violations or breaches of contract in the procedure of the training, and
                                                                             Legislative Intent                                                                                                                                      to change the rules for the principal notifying agent of the standard
C Persons Eligible for the Catastrophic Health Expenditure Support           Despite the fact that children are valuable members of our society and                                                                                  memorandum of understanding to be the Minister of Education rather
(Article 7)                                                                  an important generation that will be responsible for the future of our     06 Development of Inter-Korean Relations Act                                 than the previously designated current Minister of Employment and
Those who are recognized as beneficiaries according to the National          society, we have been passive in providing financial and policy support    Act No. 15431, Mar. 13, 2018, Partial Amendment                              Labor. By doing so, a safer environment for field training and the
Basic Living Security Act, those who have been relieved of part of the       to children.                                                                                                                                            protection of basic rights of vocational educational trainees will be
user charges as a person with a rare and incurable disease, disability       Therefore, we expect to strengthen the responsibility of the state for     Legislative Intent and Main Contents                                         better formulated and guaranteed.
pension recipients, and those belonging to the near poverty groups shall     child care by giving out child allowance to children under 6 years of      Sustainable development in inter-Korean relations between the North
of course be eligible for support. In addition, persons who meet the         age taking into account the economic level of their parents and            and the South requires support from the general public, and this in          Main Contents
standards notified by the Minister of Health and Welfare in                  guardians. This enactment will also reduce the economic burden of          turn necessitates active publicity promotion efforts along with high         A The Amendment provides grounds for incorporating essential provisions
consideration of income, property, etc. may also be subject to the           raising children as well as create a healthy growth environment for        levels of public engagement. However, the current legislative status         for the protection of basic rights and assurance of the safety of vocational
catastrophic health expenditure support.                                     children.                                                                  holds no clear or explicit provisions regarding the launching and            education trainees to the basic agenda for vocational education training
                                                                                                                                                        operation of public participation projects for sustainable development       .(Article 4-2-(3)-2 is newly added)
D Standards for the Catastrophic Health Expenditure Support (Article 11)     Main Contents                                                              in inter-Korean relations.
1) The amount equivalent to 50/100 of the sum of the following               A Child allowance shall be paid to the child under 6 years of age at a     Moreover, although the current legislation demands the government to         B Those trainees that are still enrolled in school as defined by Article 2 of
expenses are to be supported: part of the user charges that are not          monthly wage of 100,000 won considering the economic level of the          establish and report on outlines for improving inter-Korean relations        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act are exempted from
reflected in the calculation of the upper limit of the user charges - such   household reflecting the income and property of their guardians and        as well as its corresponding annual procedural agenda every 5 years          compulsory or mandatory industrial field training. (Article 7-1)
as medical expenses for the non-payment items under the National             household members, household characteristic and etc. However, the          so as to provide mid and long term goals in inter-Korean relations and
Health Insurance Act or the Medical Care Assistance Act and selective        standard for selecting the child allowance recipient is to be determined   to facilitate steady relations, compliance has been scarce due to
health benefit expenses included as part of recuperation income or           so that the economic level of the recipient’s household is less than 90%   deteriorating inter-Korean relations and confusion over its timeline         C The Amendment will allow city or provincial education superintendents
medical benefit costs.                                                       of total households that are of two or more persons (Article 4).           when reporting to the National Assembly.                                     to establish and operate job support facilities to invigorate vocational
2) The total amount of support shall be made without exceeding one of                                                                                   Thus by procuring various publicity methods to raise public awareness        education training. (Article 7-3 is newly added)
the following: the hospitalization or outpatient cost for diseases in        A The Minister of Health and Welfare or the Mayor of Metropolitan          and developing and operating public participation projects for
which the total number of inpatient and outpatient care days is less than    Autonomous CitiesㆍGovernor of Social Self-governing Provinces ㆍMayors      improving inter-Korean relations on the one hand, while clarifying the       D The principal notifying agent of a standard memorandum of
180 days per year or the amount declared and notified by the Minister of     ㆍGovernors ㆍHead of Boroughs may request the submission of data on         timeline for reporting to the National Assembly clearly as before the        understanding is changed from the Minister of Employment and Labor to
Health and Welfare in the range of 1.5 times of a single household           income, property, family relations etc. and make inquiries as necessary    opening session of a periodic Assembly, and requiring a reporting            the to the Minister of Education (Article 9-1).
median income converted into annual income.                                  to confirm the eligibility of child allowance (Article 7).                 procedure in case of any changes to the main contents of the said

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Recent Trends of Law & Regulation in Korea
information to relevant institutions in order to enhance airport security
                                                                                 by blocking transfer passengers’ illegal entrance and so on.
                                                                                 Furthermore, it is pointed out that detainees have not been able to
                                                                                 fully utilize the detention system because even though the current law
                                                                                 stipulates that detainees who have received detention orders or
                                                                                 deportation orders and their guarantors may demand the temporary
                                                                                 release from detention to the head of the Regional Immigration
                                                                                 Service, guidance regarding this matter is not offered.
                                                                                 Consequently, procedures regarding the temporary release from
                                                                                 detention and its revocation are to be posted directly in protection
                                                                                 facilities so that it is easy to see, which will offer guidance regarding
                                                                                 the system to detainees.

                                                                                 Main Contents
                                                                                 A Classify an alien’s status of stay to two main categories: general
                                                                                 status of stay and status of stay based on permanent residency. (Act 10,       imprisonment without prison labor for two or more years has been           dogs. There is little evidence to hold the owner responsible despite
                                                                                 Article 10(2) and Article 10(3) newly added)                                   finalized. When the necessity to reside in the Republic of Korea is        frequent accidents caused by fierce dogs.
                                                                                 1) Every alien who intends to enter the Republic of Korea should be            acknowledged even after the revocation of permanent residency and the      In addition, there is no legal ground to ban minors from practicing
                                                                                 granted status of stay of either general status of stay where the period       requirements for general status of stay is met, allow for the permanent    animal dissection. In reality, it is found that animal dissection is
                                                                                 of stay is limited, or status of stay based on permanent residency in          residency to be changed to general status of stay.                         practiced by minors at facilities such as private institutes. Concerns
                                                                                 which permanent residency is allowed.                                                                                                                     arise that such practices ignore animals’ rights to life and harm the
                                                                                 2) General status of stay is classified as short-term status of stay in        D Implementing an ex officio examination system regarding the              sentiment of minors.
                                                                                 which an alien is allowed to stay within a 90-day period for tourism or        temporary release from detention (Act 65)                                  Therefore, partial amendments were made to improve the system that
 E The supervisor of a said industrial entity overlooking the field training     visiting purposes, and long-term status of stay in which an alien is           Allow the head of the Regional Immigration Service to temporarily          tightens the management of fierce dogs by clarifying the definition of
must comply with the contents of the field training memorandum or                allowed to stay in excess of a 90-day period for studying abroad,              release the detainee from detention not only in cases where there are      fierce dogs and establishing legal grounds for quarantine measures
contract (Article 9-3 is newly added).                                           training, investment, etc.                                                     claims from aliens who are interned at caring facilities due to matters    through newly established legal duties of owners. Amendments also
                                                                                 3) Clarify that those who hold permanent residency are not imposed             such as illegal stay and claims from their guarantors or legal             aim to enhance awareness of the right to life of animals and to protect
 F An administrative fine of up to 500,0000 won may be imposed on the            limitations on their activities or period of stay, and decide that an alien    representative but also by taking into account the detainee’s              the sentiment of minors by banning animal dissection practiced by
supervisor of an industrial entity that has failed to comply with the contents   must be of good conduct and must have the capacity to make a living in         circumstances and examining their assets, etc.                             minors.
of the memorandum of understanding for field training (Article 27-2 is           order to obtain permanent residency.
newly added).                                                                                                                                                   E Posting the Procedures Regarding Revocation of Temporary Release         Main Contents
                                                                                 B Implement an emergency suspension of aliens’ departure system.               from Detention (Article 66-2 is newly added)                               A The definition of fierce dogs is newly established. It is required for
G The Amendment decrees that both the Minister of Employment and                 (Article 29(2) newly added)                                                    In order to provide guidance of the system for protected persons, the      the owners of fierce dogs to put on protective equipment such as a collar
Labor and the Minister of Education may be agents that impose such               An emergency suspension of departure is to be allowed in urgent                procedures regarding revocation of temporary release from detention        and muzzle when going out. The legal ground is established to execute
administrative fines, as compared to before, in which only the Minister of       circumstances when there are grounds for suspecting that an alien has          should be posted in a visible location within the facility.                quarantine measures without the consent of the owner in the case of a
Employment and Labor had such rights (Article 27-2).                             committed a crime falling under capital punishment or imprisonment                                                                                        physical injury of a person. (Article 2-3 (2) and Article 13-2 are newly
                                                                                 with or without prison labor either for life or for three or more years, and   F Establishing the ground for the use of information of transfer           added)
                                                                                 when the alien is liable to take flight.                                       passengers (Article 78-2)
08 Immigration Act                                                                                                                                              The Minister of Justice may request a related agency to provide            B In the case of an animal care center whose the designation was
                                                                                 C Special cases concerning the reissuance and revocation of alien              information of international transfer passengers in order to prevent the   revoked due to animal abuse, the restriction period for re-designation is
Act No. 15492, Mar. 20, 2018, Partial Amendment
                                                                                 registration certificates for those who hold permanent residency (Act 33,      illegal entry of the concerning passengers who are likely to commit a      extended from the one year to two years. (Article 15-8)
Legislative Intent                                                               Article 89(2) newly added)                                                     crime in advance.
The amendment intends to clarify the legal status of an alien residing           1) Implement a 10-year term of validity to alien registration certificates                                                                                C The legal grounds for transfer or donation of laboratory animals are
in the Republic of Korea and strengthen the managing system by                   for those who hold permanent residency, and require that the certificate                                                                                  newly established; anyone is banned to have minors dissecting animals.
defining the rights of an alien with permanent residency and the                 be reissued before the term of validity ends.                                  09 Animal Protection Act                                                   (Article 23, Article 24-2 is newly added)
fundamentals regarding their status of stay, implement an ex officio             2) Make the qualifications of the revocation of permanent residency            Act No.15502, Mar. 20, 2018, Partial Amendment
examination system regarding the temporary release from detention to             stricter than the qualifications of the revocation of general status of
relief the detainees’ rights and reinforce human rights protection, and          stay, by allowing revocation only when an alien has committed a crime          Legislative Intent
prepare the grounds for being able to request transfer passengers’               under the Criminal Act or others and punishment of imprisonment or             The current law does not have a systemic management policy for fierce

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she has leaked or exported in violation of one's occupational duty. In
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        addition, even if the employee carries out the trade secrets legally and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        does not fall under occupational breach of trust, if one has the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        obligation to discard or return the trade secrets to the company at the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        time of departure but has not discarded nor returned them with the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        purpose of leaking them to a rival company or using them for one's
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        benefit, occupational breach of trust is consummated at the time of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        resignation.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        However, once the employee leaves the company, without any special
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        circumstances, the retired employee can no longer be regarded as being
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        in the position of a person who handles the affairs of others in the case
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        of occupational breach of trust. Even if a trade secret which has not
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        been returned or discarded as described above is leaked to a competitor
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        or is used personally for one's own benefit, it shall be no more than the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        act of executing occupational breach of trust. Thus, it does not
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        constitute the crime of occupational breach of trust, while whether the

     Court
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        leak or act of use falls under the violation of Unfair Competition
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act (Leaking Trade Secrets, etc.)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        will be considered separately. Also, unless the resigned employee can

     Decisions
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        be recognized the status of one who handles the affairs of others, even
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        if a third party conspired or engaged in the leakage/utilization for
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        personal use, the complicity with a person who commits occupational
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        breach of trust can not be constituted without circumstances where he
                                                                     NOTE: The translation is NOT official. It only serves as a guideline.                                                                                              or she is in the position of handling the affairs of others.

                                                                                                                                                           Main Issues and Holdings                                                     (Source: Supreme Court of Korea)
                                                                                                                                                           The time of consummation (= at the point of leaking or carrying out
                                                                              posting an Internet link does not by itself constitute a reproduction or     information) of occupational breach of trust in the case in which an
01 Supreme Court Decision 2012Do13748 Decided March 12,                       transmission as prescribed under the Copyright Act.                          employee who has leaked trade secrets or essential business assets to a      03 Supreme Court Decision 2015Doo44493 Decided October 12,
2015                                                                          [2] Under the Criminal Act, “aiding and abetting” refers to an act of        rival company or personally use such assets for the purpose of making an     2017
Aiding and Abetting Violation of the Copyright                                directly/indirectly assisting a principal offender in committing a crime.    improper profit and the time of consummation (=at the point of leaving a     Affirmation of Nullity of Dismissal
                                                                              However, the act of linking on the Internet is merely an indication of       company) in the case where an employee who has legally carried out
Act                                                                           location or route to the web page that the link intends to connect.          assets such as trade secrets but failed to comply with the order to return   Main Issues and Holdings
Main Issues and Holdings                                                      Therefore, even if users clicking on the link are forwarded to such web      or destroy them when leaving the company for the same purpose.               [1] In the case where an employee who has made a labor contract with
[1] Whether the act of posting an Internet link constitutes a reproduction    pages, etc., which may infringe a copyright holder’s right to reproduction   Whether occupational breach of trust is separately constituted in the        a defined period is granted a legitimate expectation of the renewal of
and transmission according to the Copyright Act (negative)                    or public transmission by posting copyrighted materials or transmitting      case where the resigned employee has leaked business assets such as          the contract, the effect of the user’s unfair refusal of labor contract
[2] In the case where Internet users may, by clicking a link, access a web    copyrighted materials to Internet users without having obtained any          trade secrets to a rival company or personally used them rather than         (negative), whether the labor relationship after expiration is same as the
page or any website of a similar nature which posts or transmits              license or permission from the copyright holders, the act of linking         returning or destroying concerning assets.                                   renewal of previous labor contract (affirmative)
copyrighted materials to Internet users without any license or                cannot by itself facilitate commission of infringement. As such, it shall    Whether the complicity with a person who commits occupational breach         [2] Criteria for judging whether there is a reasonable reason of rejecting
permission from the copyright holders, thereby infringing the copyright       not be deemed aiding and abetting an act of copyright infringement.          of trust is constituted in the case where a third party engages in leakage   the renewal for the fixed-term labor contract despite the legitimate
or right to communicate with the copyright holders, whether the act of                                                                                     and utilization for a personal use.                                          expectation of renewal, and the subject of proof responsibility for such
posting an Internet link alone constitutes aiding and abetting copyright      (Source: Supreme Court of Korea)                                                                                                                          circumstances (=user) / How to determine the user’s claim in the case
infringement (negative)                                                                                                                                    Summary of Decision                                                          where the user refuses a renewal on a large scale, insisting that a fixed-
                                                                                                                                                           The subject of occupational breach of trust must be in the position of       term worker with a legitimate expectation of renewing a labor contract
Summary of Decision                                                           02 Supreme Court Decision 2017Do3808 Decided June 29, 2017                   handling affairs of others. If a company employee leaked trade secrets       should be selected through a new recruitment process without prior
[1] “Internet link” is merely a guide or route to locate individual           Violation of Unfair Competition Prevention and                               or essential business assets to a rival company during his or her tenure,    consent or specific criteria
copyrighted materials stored in a web page or website connected by                                                                                         or exported them without permission for the purpose of using them for
such link. As such, even if an Internet user clicks on a link that directly
                                                                              Trade Secret Protection Act (Leaking Trade                                   one's own benefit, occupational breach of trust is consummated,              Summary of Decision
connects them to a web page or each copyrighted material, the act of          Secrets, etc.) · Occupational Breach of Trust                                because as a person who handles the affairs of another person, he or         [1] In the case of an employee who has signed a labor contract for a

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certain period of time, it is a matter of a course that the relationship of
status as an employee is terminated as the period expires. However, if         04 Supreme Court en banc Decision 2015Do8335 Decided December
there is a provision for the purpose in the labor contract, employment         21, 2017
regulation, collective agreement, etc. that the labor contract will be         Violation of the Aviation Security Act; Coercion;
renewed as certain requirements are met even if the period expires, or
although there is no such provision, considering the various
                                                                               Interference with Business; Obstruction of the
circumstances surrounding the labor relationship, if confidential              Execution of Official Duties by Fraudulent
relationship is established between the labor contracting parties that         Means; Destruction of Evidence (Convicted
the labor contract is renewed as certain requirements are met, so that         Crime: Solicitation of Destruction of Evidence);
the right to justifiable expectations is recognized to the employee that
                                                                               Concealment of Evidence (Convicted Crime:
the labor contract can be renewed accordingly, it is as ineffective as
unfair dismissal for an employer to refuse to renew a labor contract           Solicitation of Concealment of Evidence);
unfairly. Also, in this case, the labor relationship after the expiration of   Leakage of Secrets on Official Duties
the period should be regarded as the same as the previous labor
contract is renewed.                                                           Main Issues and Holding
[2] The purpose of recognizing the right to justifiable expectations for       [1] Meaning of “aviation route” as stipulated under Article 42 of the
the renewal of the labor contracts to employees who have concluded             Aviation Security Act
fixed-term labor contracts is to correct unreasonable discrimination           Whether the ground passage along which an aircraft transits from the
against fixed-term employees and to strengthen the protection of their         time all its doors close after the passengers board until the time all its
working condition by preventing the abuse of fixed-term labor contracts.       doors open for their disembarkation is encompassed by the term
Therefore, in case that it is a matter of whether there was a rational         “aviation route” (negative)                                                    interpretation, which is the essence of the principle of no crime or             has the same meaning as air route. The legal definition of air route is
reason for the employer to exclude and refuse the renewal of labor             [2] In a case where the Defendant, Vice President of Airline Company           punishment without the law, to interpret a penal provision against the           stipulated as a “route in the space indicated on the earth’s surface as
contract, even if the employee has the right to justifiable expectations       “A,” was indicted on charges of violation of the Aviation Security Act on      Defendant’s interest beyond the bounds of the possible meaning of a              designated by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as
for the renewal that has already been formed, it should be judged on the       grounds that she: (a) boarded one of the airline’s planes scheduled to         text and language. Statutory construction may well employ a                      appropriate for the navigation of aircraft, etc.” (Article 2 subparag. 13 of
basis of objective, rational and fair criteria in light of common sense,       depart from a foreign airport for Korea; (b) was upset by the way the          systematic, logical method, taking into account the legislative intent and       the Aviation Safety Act; definition under the former Aviation Act is the
considering the reasons and procedures of renewal refusal based on             assigned flight attendant offered passenger services and verbally              purpose, chronology of the statutory enactment and amendment,                    same). Thus, a route can only be an air route when it is used for aircraft
various circumstances surrounding the labor relations concerned such as        abused the flight attendant; (c) had the pilot alter the course of the         harmony with the entire legal order, and relationship with other                 flights. In view of the fact that aviation route as a legal terminology has
business purpose and nature of the employer, the condition of the              aircraft on a pushback away from the boarding bridge in the ramp and           statutes. However, insofar as the statutory text and language                    been used interchangeably with air route, it can be viewed that
workplace, the status of the employee and the contents of charge               return to the boarding gate to drop off the crew member; and (d) thereby       themselves consist of relatively clear concepts, such interpretive method        legislators also perceived aviation route as a term with the connotation
duties, process of signing an employment contract, whether the                 caused the alteration of the aviation route of an aircraft in flight by        is unnecessary or must be limited in principle. It is all the more so when       of “aerial.”
requirements or procedures for the labor contract renewal are                  force, the case holding that the Defendant’s act of having the aircraft on     interpreting penal provisions under the purview of the principle of no           (E) By contrast, no legislative material could be found to support the
established and operation status, and whether there is a reason                a pushback phase return to the boarding gate does not constitute               crime or punishment without the law.                                             proposition that legislators used “aviation route” in this particular penal
attributed to the employee, etc. The burden of proof for such matters          causing the alteration of the aviation route of an aircraft                    (C) In cases where there is no definition clause on a statutory term, in         provision in deviation from its ordinary definition to include the meaning
shall be borne by the employer. Especially, it is completely excluding the                                                                                    principle, it should be interpreted according to the generally accepted          of ground passage.
right to justifiable expectations of employees’ renewal that the               Summary of Decision                                                            meaning, such as its dictionary definition. The Standard Dictionary of           This offense was first stipulated as a crime in Article 11 of the former
employer refused to renew the labor contracts on a large scale, claiming       [1] [Majority Opinion]                                                         Korean Language published by the National Institute of Korean                    Aircraft Navigation Safety Act (Act No. 2742, Dec. 26, 1974), the
that the labor contracts will be renewed only if the employees are             (A) Article 42 of the Aviation Security Act provides, “Any person who          Language defines aviation route to mean an “airway along which an                forerunner of the Aviation Security Act. The minutes of the National
selected through the new recruitment procedure rather than the renewal         impedes the normal flight of an aircraft by forcing the aircraft in flight     aircraft transits.” From a linguistic point of view, it is clear that the term   Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting on November
procedure without prior consents procedures or establishing specific           (i.e., during navigation) to alter its course by fraudulent means or by        aviation route connotes “aerial.” No example could be found where the            26, 1974 for deliberation of the legislative bill in the run-up to the
criteria such as granting add points to the fixed-term employees who           force shall be punished by imprisonment with labor for not less than one       term “aviation route” is used as a term meaning a passage on the                 enactment of the former Aircraft Navigation Safety Act lack any
have the right to justifiable expectations to the renewal. Therefore, the      year but not more than ten years.” Article 2 subparag. 1 of the same Act       ground in relation to aircraft navigation.                                       discussion of the penal provision on this offence, and thus, can hardly
claim should be examined collectively considering whether there is a           defines “in flight (i.e., during navigation)” to mean “from the time all the   (D) Aviation route was used in other laws to mean “air route.” Article           offer any direct clues to the meaning of “aviation route.” Yet the part
managemental or operational need to take such actions as a employer,           doors of an aircraft close after passengers board until the time all its       115-2(2) of the former Aviation Act (repealed by Act No. 14116, Mar. 29,         explaining the reasons for the proposal reveals that the former Aircraft
whether there is a ground rule for it, whether the employer had tried to       doors open for their disembarkation.” However, there is no provision in        2016) provided that when the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and                Navigation Safety Act was enacted to provide for the aggravated
avoid it or to minimize the scope of the renewal refusal, whether steps        the Aviation Security Act defining what “aviation route” means.                Transport issues an air operator’s certificate to an air transport business,     punishment of criminal offenders as an implementing legislation of
to select the subject based on reasonable and fair criteria were taken,        (B) The principle of no crime or punishment without the law requires           he/she should specify the navigation conditions, including the “aviation         Korea’s international obligations under the international conventions
whether there was discrimination in the process, etc.                          crimes and punishments to be stipulated by the law to protect individual       route to be navigated.” Article 90(2) of the Aviation Safety Act (Act No.        aimed at deterring crimes against civil aircraft.
                                                                               rights and freedom from the State’s arbitrary exercise of penal authority.     14116, Mar. 29, 2016), which succeeded to the terms of the                       (F) The object of this offense is an aircraft “in flight (i.e., during
(Source: Supreme Court of Korea)                                               In view of such purport, penal provisions ought to be strictly construed.      aforementioned provision, changed “aviation route to be navigated” into          navigation).” However, “aviation route” subject to the alteration of
                                                                               It is impermissible as against the prohibition of expansionist                 “air route to be navigated.” Thus, it is clear that here, “aviation route”       course by fraudulent means or by force is a separate element of the

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crime, and should by itself be interpreted conducive to the principle of       comings and goings along a specific navigation route or between                depart from a foreign airport for Korea; (b) was upset by the way the        the failure to completely perform necessary protective measures and the
no crime or punishment without the law. Aviation route has the                 destinations.” Thus, it is reasonable and natural to construe aviation         assigned flight attendant served nuts to her, a first-class passenger, for   hacking incident
connotation of “aerial,” and there is no evidence to support the finding       route to mean “a passage along which an aircraft navigates.”                   its discrepancy with what she knew to be stipulated in the passenger
that legislators used the word to have a broader meaning than its              (D) The fact that the term aviation route in the context of this offense is    cabin service manual, and verbally abused the flight attendant; (c) had      Summary of Decision
dictionary definition. It exceeds the bounds of the possible meaning of a      used in close relationship with navigation is also revealed through the        the pilot alter the course of the aircraft on a pushback away from the       [1] Article 28(1) of the former Act on Promotion of Information and
text and language to construe even the ground passage taken by an              structure and organization of the legal text. From the time of the former      boarding bridge in the ramp (where it was pushed by a vehicle toward         Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, Etc.
aircraft as an “aviation route” just because an aircraft transit on the        Aircraft Navigation Safety Act, the forerunner of the Aviation Security        the taxiway), and return to the boarding gate to drop off the crew           (amended by Act No. 11322, Feb. 17, 2012; hereinafter “former
ground constitutes “in flight (i.e., during navigation).”                      Act, the term aviation route was only used as an element of this offense       member; and (d) thereby caused the alteration of the aviation route of an    Information and Communications Network Act”) stipulates that a
(G) Clearly, recklessly altering the course of an aircraft in transit on the   out of the entire statutory provisions, and is qualified by the immediately    aircraft in flight by force, the Court affirmed the lower judgment           provider of information and communications services shall, when
ground is a highly dangerous act, as it risks clashing with other aircraft     adjacent phrase, “of an aircraft in flight (i.e., during navigation).” The     acquitting the Defendant of the said charges on the ground that the          handling personal information of users, take necessary technical and
or facilities. However, the mere need for criminal sanctions ought not to      omission of any separate definition clause on aviation route reveals that      Defendant’s act of having an aircraft in a pushback procedure return to      administrative measures in accordance with the guidelines prescribed
retract the principle of no crime or punishment without the law. Penal         legislators considered the qualifying term “in flight (i.e., during            the boarding gate does not constitute causing the alteration of the          by the Presidential Decree to prevent loss, theft, leakage, forgery, and
vacuum is unlikely to arise, since such an act not only can be punished        navigation)” to be enough to clarify the meaning of aviation route to the      aviation route of an aircraft.                                               alteration of or damage to personal information. Subparagraphs 1
as an interference with business against the pilot in command, but also        general public.                                                                                                                                             through 6 of said Article 28(1) prescribes the technical and
may constitute an interference with the execution of duties under Article      In light of such interrelationship, the term “aviation route” in the context   (Source: Supreme Court of Korea)                                             administrative measures to be taken: (i) develop and implement internal
43 of the Aviation Security Act, which may be subject to imprisonment          of this offense should be construed not separately as a stand-alone                                                                                         management plans for the safe handling of personal information; (ii)
with labor for not more than ten years, as in many cases the act would         term, but rather in the context of the phrase, “aviation route of an                                                                                        install and operate intrusion prevention systems to block illegal access
likely involve assault, intimidation, or fraudulent means.                     aircraft in flight (i.e., during navigation).” Legislators expanded the        05 Supreme Court Decision 2015Da24904, 24911, 24928, 24935                   to personal information; (iii) take measures to prevent the fabrication
[Dissenting Opinion by Justice Park Poe-young, Justice Jo Hee-de, and          meaning of the term “in flight (i.e., during navigation)” under the            Decided January 25, 2018                                                     and alteration of access records; (iv) develop security measures using
Justice Park Sang-ok] (A) The Standard Dictionary of Korean Language           Aviation Security Act to a broader extent than its ordinary meaning, with      Damages (Etc.); Damages (Etc.); Damages (Etc.);                              encryption technology, etc. to safely store and transmit personal
published by the National Institute of Korean Language defines: (a)            the clear intention to protect also those aircraft on the ground from                                                                                       information; (v) take measures, such as installing vaccine software, to
aviation route as an “airway along which an aircraft transits; later           crimes. As such, it does not exceed the bounds of the possible meaning
                                                                                                                                                              Damages (Etc.)                                                               prevent viruses; and (vi) take other necessary measures to safely protect
modified into air route”; (b) airway as an “air route”; and (c) air route as   to broaden the definition of the term “aviation route,” constituting a                                                                                      personal information. Moreover, based on delegation of Article 28(1) of
a “designated aerial channel for a regularly navigating aircraft.” Yet the     phrase in combination with “in flight (i.e., during navigation),” to include   Main Issues and Holdings                                                     the former Information and Communications Network Act, Article 15 of
object of punishment under Article 42 of the Aviation Security Act is the      all “passages navigated by aircraft in flight (i.e., during navigation),”      [1] Standard for determining whether a provider of information and           the former Enforcement Decree thereof (amended by Presidential
act of causing an aircraft in flight (i.e., during navigation) to alter the    whether on the ground or in the air.                                           communications services breached a legal or contractual duty to take         Decree No. 23104, Aug. 29, 2011) specifically provides for the necessary
course of its actual transit, not causing the alteration of an air channel     (E) Reckless alteration of the course of an aircraft in transit on the         necessary protective measures to ensure the safety of personal               technical and administrative measures that a provider of information
itself as designated by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and               ground carries a high risk of massive disaster. Thus, the act must be          information as defined under Article 28(1) of the former Act on              and communications services should take to ensure the safety of
Transport.                                                                     subject to this offense, which is punishable by imprisonment with labor        Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and          personal information. Therefore, an information and communications
(B) Depending on the context of a legal text, the expression “aviation         for not less than one year but not more than ten years, to support the         Information Protection, Etc., or stipulated in an information and            service provider is legally obligated to take necessary technical and
route” may be construed to encompass an aircraft’s passage on the              legislative intent to heighten the punishment for any act threatening          communications service contract                                              administrative measures for the protection of personal information
ground. In fact, controversy over whether an on-the-ground course of           navigation safety. Whether on the ground or in the air, an aircraft ought      [2] If a provider of information and communications services took            stipulated in Article 28(1) of the former Information and Communications
aircraft transit is encompassed by the concept of “aviation route” seems       to follow the optimal course under the judgment of the pilot in command        necessary technical and administrative measures under the Standard on        Network Act.
to have prompted the revision of the term “aviation route” under the           and subject to the coordination of air traffic controllers for the sake of     Technical and Administrative Protective Measures for Personal                Furthermore, in cases where a provider of information and
former Aviation Act into “air route” under the Aviation Safety Act to fit      passenger safety, and any act obstructing this mandate needs to be             Information (Korea Communications Commission Notice No. 2011-1),             communications services collected such information as a service user’s
the context. Thus, the ground for the Majority Opinion on this part            deterred by an appropriate punishment. Interference with business              whether said provider may be deemed to have breached his/her legal or        personal information, upon request, based on the terms and conditions
supports, rather than undermines, the Dissenting Opinion, which                under the Criminal Act is only punishable by imprisonment with labor for       contractual duty to take necessary protective measures to ensure the         while entering into an information and communications service contract,
distinguishes between aviation route and air route.                            not more than five years or can be punished by a fine instead, which is        safety of personal information (negative in principle)                       then that provider is obligated under said contract to take necessary
(C) Aviation route (pronounced as “hang-ro” in Korean, written as “航           not a proportional punishment for a serious crime involving aircraft           Albeit an information and communications service provider took               measures to prevent loss, theft, leakage, forgery, and alteration of or
路” in Chinese characters) can be construed based on its Chinese                navigation. Interference with the execution of duties under Article 43 of      necessary protective measures, as mentioned above, cases where the           damage to the user’s personal information collected.
character to mean “a passage (路) for vessels or aircraft (航).” Whereas         the Aviation Security Act cannot subsume the act either, since it omits        measures taken are assessed as an illegal act or where the provider is       However, with regard to the necessary protective measures that a
a vessel navigates along the sea route from port to port, an aircraft          “by force” as a means of interference.                                         held liable pursuant to Article 760(3) of the Civil Act                      provider of information and communications services should take, the
navigates from airport to airport. Although mostly aerial operation,           (F) In conclusion, it should be construed that all passages on the ground      [3] In a case where: (a) an online portal service operated by Company A      following extenuating circumstances should be considered: (a) high risk
aircraft navigation inevitably involves operation on the ground of an          along which an aircraft transits from the time all its doors close after the   was hacked, resulting in the leakage of members’ personal information;       of exposure to illegal acts of invasion, such as hacking, given that
airport for takeoff and landing. Article 2 subparag. 1 of the Aviation         passengers board until the time all its doors open for their                   and (b) service users, including Party A, consequentially sought             information and communications services are provided in an “open”
Security Act provides that “in flight (i.e., during navigation)” means from    disembarkation are encompassed by “aviation route” under Article 42 of         compensation for damages against Company A, the case holding that,           online setting, and that networks, systems, and operating systems set
the time all the doors of an aircraft close after passengers board until       the Aviation Security Act.                                                     although an information and communications service provider’s duty to        up by information and communications service providers possess
the time all its doors open for their disembarkation. Also, the Standard       [2] In a case where the Defendant, Vice President of Airline Company           protect includes having personal information controllers log out after       inherent weaknesses; (b) difficulty in ensuring complete security due to
Dictionary of Korean Language published by the National Institute of           “A,” was indicted on charges of violation of the Aviation Security Act on      browsing the information processing system, Company A is not liable for      the pace of technological development or overall transaction cost, etc.;
Korean Language defines navigation to mean “a vessel’s or an aircraft’s        grounds that she: (a) boarded one of the airline’s planes scheduled to         compensation given that proximate causation is not recognized between        (c) hackers, etc. using various methods attack the networks and relevant

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