The Broadcasting Media Communications Review Committee's communications review subcommittee decided on Sunday to order corrective measures, including access blocks, on 143 cases of illegal debt-collection information on social networking services that disclosed debtors' personal details, it said.

The review was conducted at the request of the Financial Supervisory Service, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency and the Ulsan Jungbu Police Station.

The information subject to corrective action involves illegal debt-collection cases in which illegal private lenders misused photos and handwritten IOUs they obtained from borrowers during the loan process. In the cases, lenders provided short-term loans of as little as tens of thousands of won and had borrowers sign IOUs agreeing that, in the event of delinquency, acquaintances would be notified via SNS of the debt. When delinquency occurred, the lenders unlawfully disclosed borrowers' real names and faces, or posted photos of acquaintances such as borrowers' parents and subjected them to sexual and personal insults.

Distributing debtors' personal information obtained during lending and collection through the internet, including SNS, constitutes a serious crime punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won under the Act on Fair Debt Collection.

Bamisimwi said damage related to illegal private lending and illegal debt collection is more serious because it mainly affects financially vulnerable people who have difficulty using regulated financial institutions. It urged anyone who discovers illegal private lending information or suffers related harm to report it without delay to relevant agencies such as Bamisimwi, the police and the Financial Supervisory Service.