As the Korea Media Communications Commission (the “KMCC”) has resolved the administrative disposition plans based on the results of periodic status reviews of location information businesses (“LIB”) and location-based services (“LBS”), we provide the following information for your reference.
For companies where violations were identified during the 2023 and 2024 reviews, administrative sanctions were scheduled to be finalized by resolution in 2024. However, due to various circumstances surrounding the former KCC since August 2024, the KMCC has been unable to adopt formal resolutions. As a result, final administrative dispositions had been delayed for a number of companies.
As part of a recent government reorganization, the Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Korea Media and Communications Commission was passed by the National Assembly on September 27, 2025, and became effective on October 1, 2025. This act abolished the former KCC and established the new KMCC.
Thereafter, the KMCC held its 1st Plenary Session on April 10, 2026, and resolved to impose administrative fines and penalties on 373 location information providers for failing to implement protective measures or violating business suspension and closure requirements. This is a follow-up measure based on the results of the 2023 location information review, and it is expected that further resolutions for administrative sanctions regarding the 2024 and 2025 reviews will follow in sequence.
If your company was subject to the location information review in 2023, it is necessary to verify whether you were included in this resolution and if your administrative disposition has been finalized. Regarding the 2024 and 2025 reviews, please re-confirm whether the review was concluded without any findings or whether your company is the subject of pending sanctions. If administrative sanctions apply to your company, kindly ensure that your response to any advance notice of disposition has been submitted.
Violations can result in various sanctions, including corrective orders, fixed-amount administrative penalties (up to KRW 20 million), percentage-based administrative fines (up to 3% of relevant revenue), and even potential criminal penalties.
Please note that administrative actions may be taken, even if a significant amount of time has passed since the status review and even if you previously submitted your position to the KCC. If you wish to challenge a final disposition, depending on the nature of the sanction, you must either undergo a fine trial through an objection procedure for administrative fines, file an administrative appeal with the KMCC, or initiate an administrative lawsuit seeking revocation. Therefore, advance preparation for a potential appeal is recommended.
The KMCC announced through this resolution that it intends to encourage regulatory compliance through continuous status reviews, while also planning to establish policy measures by the end of the year to revitalize the location information industry ecosystem.
