The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on the 21st that it will strengthen its public data dispute resolution system by holding the appointment ceremony and first plenary meeting of the 7th Public Data Dispute Mediation Committee at the Government Complex Seoul. This is the seventh committee since the first one was launched on December 1, 2013.
The 7th committee will serve a two-year term and consists of 25 members, including one civilian chair, one standing member, and 23 committee members. Kim Il-hwan, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University’s School of Law who has also served as chair of the Personal Information Dispute Mediation Committee, was appointed as the civilian chair.
The ministry said the committee includes experts from academia, the legal field, and industry, and that it has appointed a large number of people with strong understanding of artificial intelligence and data-driven administration.
◆ If data is denied, apply for mediation within 60 days
The Dispute Mediation Committee is an organization established under Article 29 of the Public Data Act. Cases subject to mediation include when a public institution rejects a request for data on grounds such as information exempt from disclosure, or when it suspends the provision of data that had previously been available for use.
Its core role is to quickly protect the public’s right to use public data through a simple mediation process instead of a complicated lawsuit. Citizens or businesses may apply for mediation through the Public Data Portal within 60 days from the date they are notified of the refusal or suspension.
The most notable aspect of the mediation process is its legal effect. If both the applicant and the public institution agree to the mediation plan prepared after fact-finding by the committee, the mediation has the same legal force as a “judicial settlement.” In other words, it has binding power equivalent to a court ruling. There is no cost.
Data whose provision is decided through mediation does not end up being used only by the applicant. The data is also registered on the Public Data Portal, making it fully open for anyone to use. In other words, one mediation request can lead to broader data disclosure for society as a whole.
◆ Requests have decreased, but the role has expanded
The number of public data dispute mediation applications has shown a clear change in recent years. Applications, which had steadily increased from 40 cases in 2021 to 55 in 2022 and 59 in 2023, fell to 56 in 2024 and 27 in 2025.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety attributed this to the overall expansion of public data disclosure and to stronger pre-consultation and coordination functions among institutions. In other words, more data is being opened in advance before disputes escalate to mediation.
At its plenary meeting held that day, the committee discussed its future direction and signaled an expanded role. It decided to develop its dispute mediation function beyond simply determining whether data should be provided, toward also considering the form of data that users need and practical support for its use.
Since many cases involve data that is provided but cannot actually be used because the format is unsuitable, the goal is to fill the gaps at the usage stage beyond the provision stage.
◆ In the AI era, data is competitiveness
Vice Minister Kim Min-jae of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said at the appointment ceremony, “Public data is both a right of the people and a core asset for innovation in the AI era, as well as the foundation of national competitiveness.” He added, “We will quickly resolve conflicts in the data-use process and create a data environment that citizens and businesses can truly feel.”
As artificial intelligence spreads rapidly, the value of data continues to rise. Conflicts over what data should be opened, to what extent, and in what form are expected to become more frequent.
If the Dispute Mediation Committee expands its role from a “judge of provision” to a “facilitator of use,” citizens and businesses in need of data will have a broader avenue to rely on. However, for such a system to lead to real rights relief, the key is for the public to first know that a path other than litigation exists: dispute mediation.