Proposed Bill: Whole Amendment to the Act on the Protection and Use of Location Information

Proposed by Rep. Hong Suk-joon (People Power Party)

● With the expansion of the mobility market based on location information, location information is being used in various fields to provide customized services to users, but there are high barriers to entry for new companies. This amendment unifies the concept of personal location information and object location information and eases entry regulations by requiring location information providers and location-based service providers to both use a reporting system.

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection

Proposed by Rep. Kim Seung-su (People Power Party)

● Content generated by AI technologies is increasingly being used and shared in information and communication networks. To help consumers know whether the shared information or content was created virtually, this amendment requires deep fake content to have a watermark if it is to be shared through information and communications networks. Violators must pay an administrative fine of up to 10 million won ($7,600) and must remove the content from the network.

Pending Bill: Partial Amendment to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act

Proposed by Rep. Lim Lee-ja (People Power Party)

● Although the Serious Accidents Punishment Act is to become applicable to businesses with fewer than 50 employees from Jan. 27, the situational circumstances make it difficult for SMEs to comply with the SAPA. To protect SMEs from business closures, this amendment prolongs the postponement of the SAPA application to businesses with fewer than 50 employees by two years.

Promulgated Bill: Act on the Promotion of the Production and Use of Biogas from Organic Waste Resources

Competent Authority: Ministry of Environment

● This bill sets the mandatory biogas production targets, requiring public sector bodies to generate gas from 50 percent of the waste they collect by 2025 and 10 percent by 2026 for those in the private sector. Producers must pay penalty surcharges if they fail to achieve these targets, but are allowed to achieve the target through the purchase and commissioning of biogas from other biogas producers.

Administrative Announcement: Partial Amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act

Competent Authority: Fair Trade Commission

● This amendment allows natural persons to be designated as the head of a company, regardless of their nationality, if the person has de facto control over the company and invests in a domestic affiliate or has a relative who holds stocks and participates in company management.

The Korea Herald republishes a weekly legislative report by local law firm DR & AJU LLC to provide the latest information on bills approved, proposed, pending and set to be promulgated. -- Ed.

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For any queries about the bills, contact cr@draju.com.