Interior Ministry Amends 14 Laws to Expand Public Information

The Ministry of Interior and Safety (Minister Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that it has reported to the National Policy Coordination Meeting on the 9th a "legal amendment plan to activate the disclosure and sharing of public information" as part of actively promoting Government 3.0.

The ministry will amend 12 laws across 5 departments to make it easier and more convenient for citizens to utilize frequently demanded public information such as spatial and weather data.

The scope of users, previously limited to "related businesses," will be expanded to "all persons wishing to use the information," and procedures will be simplified to allow information usage without application.

Additionally, amendments to the Copyright Act will allow the government and local governments to freely use public copyrighted works produced and held by them without permission.

To promote information sharing among public institutions, 2 laws including the "Wage Claim Guarantee Act" and the "Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Protection of Children and Adolescents against Sexual Abuse" will be amended.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to amend the "Wage Claim Guarantee Act" within this year to provide information such as the names, resident registration numbers, and addresses of employers in wage arrears cases necessary for civil litigation. This will make it possible to skip the factual inquiry process, which typically takes about one month in wage claim lawsuits, enabling workers to receive unpaid wages more quickly.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the National Police Agency plan to amend the "Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Protection of Children and Adolescents against Sexual Abuse" to allow confirmation of criminal records for sex offenses among those employed at child and youth-related institutions through a system.

Accordingly, a system for electronically processing sex offense record inquiries will be established within this year, contributing to prompt administrative processing and creating a safe educational environment for children and adolescents.

Information sharing through inter-agency consultation without legislative amendments will also continue to be pursued. Last year, 119 projects were confirmed based on demand from central administrative agencies, local governments, and public institutions, with 49 projects completed. The remaining 70 projects will be supported to enable information sharing this year.

Additionally, volunteer systems operated separately by different departments will be linked to integrate and manage volunteer information and volunteer service records, eliminating the need for printing or submitting youth volunteer confirmation certificates and promoting volunteer activities.