The Broadcasting Media and Communications Commission on June 29 announced a “support strategy for developing the location information industry ecosystem” that includes improving location information regulations, upgrading the emergency rescue system and strengthening user protection.

Bami Tongwi held its 20th plenary meeting of 2026 on the day and unveiled the strategy. The plan comprises three pillars: revitalising the location information industry, strengthening safety nets for using location information, and building a trusted foundation for use and protection.

To promote the industry, it will ease regulations so that personal location information processed so that specific individuals cannot be identified can be used for AI data training and service development without the data subject’s consent. It will also pursue a plan to additionally allow notification via display on terminal devices to meet the obligation of “immediate notification every time” when providing personal location information to third parties.

To support start-ups, it will prepare guidelines that provide information on legal interpretations related to new and convergence services and whether registration or reporting is required. It will also push to establish a “location information start-up support centre” to provide start-up space, investment connections, and legal, management and technical advice.

The plan also includes improvements to the emergency rescue system. At present, fire and coast guard services (119) cannot request personal location information from location information businesses even when a third party makes an emergency rescue report. Bami Tongwi will revise the system so that fire and coast guard services can make requests in the same way as police (112). It will also introduce altitude, a vertical location information, into the emergency rescue system in addition to longitude and latitude, which are horizontal location information.

To protect users, it will seek revisions to ban sales and brokerage that encourage or aid the use of tracking devices secretly attached to others’ belongings for stalking and illegal tailing. For violations of the Act on the Protection and Use of Location Information, the cap on administrative penalties will be raised to 6 percent of sales related to the violation or 2 billion won from 3 percent or 400 million won. It will also pursue revisions to include failure to comply with corrective orders and refusal of inspections as grounds for registration cancellation or business closure orders.

Kim Jong-cheol (김종철), chair of Bami Tongwi, said he hopes an environment for using location information will be created in which new industries develop in the AI and digital era and people’s basic rights are more thoroughly protected. He said he will work to ensure policy tasks are implemented without disruption to build an ecosystem that balances industry revitalisation, public safety and user protection.