The National Election Commission, telecommunications companies, and major portal sites, which handle citizens' valuable personal information, are suspected of improper collusion with specific political forces or the Democratic Research Institute to share or utilize data.  

This third installment will specifically examine the alleged collusion between the Democratic Research Institute, the National Election Commission, and various information and communication agencies.

1. Allegations Regarding Big Data Contracts Between the Democratic Research Institute and Mobile Carriers

Under the leadership of former director Yang Jung-cheol, the Democratic Research Institute of the Democratic Party of Korea entered into a big data provision contract with a mobile carrier (one specific company among SKT, KT, LG U+) in 2020, ahead of the 21st general election.

Through this contract with the mobile carrier, an election strategy system was established by utilizing data such as subscriber movements and consumption patterns held by the telecommunications company to analyze floating populations by region, and characteristics by generation, gender, and region.

Candidates used this for campaign vehicle routes, schedule planning, and pledge development. This strategy was evaluated as having contributed to the election of Democratic Party candidates in closely contested areas of the Seoul metropolitan area. Therefore, a thorough investigation into the scope of the contract with the mobile carrier and the legality of data utilization is necessary.

2. Correlation with Major Telecommunications Company Hacking and Personal Information Leak Incidents

There have been a series of large-scale personal information leaks and hacking incidents at major domestic telecommunications companies such as SKT, KT, and LG U+. Around the time of the early presidential election, the following incidents occurred: ① LG U+ personal information hacking incident on April 15, 2025, ② SKT hacking incident with 23 million victims (imposed a fine of 134.8 billion KRW) on April 19, 2025, and ③ KT hacking incident involving approximately 20,000 cases (estimated fine in the hundreds of billions of KRW) discovered around August.

The exact circumstances of these successive hacking incidents at the three major telecommunications companies and the whereabouts of the leaked data remain unclear. Some point out the need for thorough verification as to whether the communication data held by these companies was leaked or provided to specific political circles, and whether investigations and punishments were carried out strictly.

3. Kakao Pay Information Leak Incident and Fines Equity Issue

Kakao Pay was found to have transmitted the IDs, mobile phone numbers, and email addresses of 40.45 million customers to Alipay without user consent from June 2019 to May 2024.

In response, the Personal Information Protection Commission imposed a fine of 5.968 billion KRW, and the Seoul Administrative Court's Administrative Division 12 also ruled against Kakao Pay on June 11 of this year in the lawsuit filed by Kakao Pay to nullify the disposition, deeming the authorities' sanctions to be legitimate.

However, the fact that the fine is only in the billions of won, despite the involvement of financial and personal information of tens of millions of people, has been criticized as being inconsistent with the equity of sanctions compared to past precedents involving other companies (e.g., a precedent where Coupang, which had 3,000 people's information leaked, was fined 624.6 billion KRW).

Therefore, further investigation is required into the cause of the information leak between Kakao Pay and Alipay, and the appropriateness of the government's sanctions.

4. Appointment of Former Naver Portal Personnel and Allegations of Government Project Information Leaks

Naver also has deep connections with key figures in the Democratic Party of Korea. Yoon Young-chan served as Vice President of Naver and co-head of the Democratic Party's SNS Headquarters after his tenure at the Dong-A Ilbo.

Candidate Ha Jung-woo, who ran in Buk-gu Gap this time and caused controversy with the 'Oppa' incident, was appointed as the newly created Senior Secretary for AI Future Planning in the Presidential Secretariat after conducting AI research at Naver.

Following former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum's resignation during the election campaign, Han Seong-sook, former CEO of Naver and Minister of SMEs and Startups, was recommended as the new Prime Minister, drawing attention to the close human ties between the portal industry and the current government.

In particular, a personal information leak incident occurred during the audition process for the government's first large-scale startup project, 'Startup All,' announced on June 15th under the leadership of Minister Han Seong-sook of SMEs and Startups, with attempts to access the private profiles of 5,000 first-round applicants, increasing the anxiety of applicants.

A swift and transparent investigation is needed into the security and management status of large portal subscriber information, and the possibility of hacking during the construction of public systems.

5. Temporary Visa-Free Entry for Chinese Nationals and Fire Incident at National Administrative Network

The current government is implementing a temporary visa-free entry system for Chinese group tourists from September 29, 2025, to June 30, 2026. In conjunction with this, on September 26, 2025, a fire, presumed to be caused by battery explosion, occurred in the data center of the National Information Resources Management Center (under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety) in Daejeon, paralyzing approximately 640 central government computer networks, including Government24 and mobile identification.

This has raised suspicions about potential loopholes in the data management system related to entry. Furthermore, thorough investigation into the cause of fire incidents near public institutions, including whether they are mere accidents, is necessary, especially around major political junctures or elections.

Conclusion: Immediate Implementation of Strict and Fair Judicial Procedures is Necessary

In summary, the allegations that the National Election Commission, telecommunications companies, and major portal sites, which handle citizens' valuable personal information, have improperly colluded with specific political forces or the Democratic Research Institute to share or utilize data, are serious matters that can shake the foundations of democracy. Sensitive subscriber data and administrative information must not be leaked without legal procedures or misused for the establishment of a specific political party's election system, as stipulated by the Personal Information Protection Act.

A thorough legal investigation, including searches and seizures, must be immediately conducted to ascertain who spearheaded this information gathering and collaborated, and which individuals were involved in the system construction process. If necessary, transparency and neutrality of the election should be verified in cooperation with international election monitoring standards, and those who have abetted improper actions, regardless of their political affiliation, must be held strictly accountable under the law.

Addendum: The three-part article above is based on facts and written with the purpose of informing young people in their 20s and 30s about the detailed background of election irregularities, using materials already published in newspapers and broadcasting media.

◆ Shin Suk-hee, CEO

Co-Representative, Global Free Sovereign Alliance

Overseas Korean Representative, Australia

Ph.D. in TESOL, University of Sydney