Republic of Korea: Amendment to Copyright Act including copyright protection regulation enters into force

On 11 August 2026, the Partial Amendment to the Copyright Act (Act No. 21336) enters into force. The Amendment applies to online service providers and telecommunications business operators. On definitions, the Amendment expands the definition of online service providers to include telecommunications business operators, introduces a statutory definition of "illegal copies", and classifies the operation of or posting of links to Internet sites providing access to illegal copies for profit as copyright infringement. On institutional requirements, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism is required to establish comprehensive copyright protection measures every 3 years and to implement annual promotion plans, while the Copyright Protection Deliberative Committee is expanded from 20 to 30 members and its members are prohibited from disclosing confidential information obtained in the course of their duties. On remedies, courts are permitted to award compensation of up to 5 times the recognised loss in cases of intentional infringement. On enforcement, the Minister is empowered to have public officials enter locations and inspect documents to discover illegal copies, and to order online service providers to block access to illegal copies where there is an urgent need to prevent irreparable damage and other remedies have been exhausted. An emergency blocking procedure enables the Minister to order immediate access blocking without prior Committee deliberation, subject to an objection procedure. Criminal penalties for copyright infringement increase from a maximum of 5 years' imprisonment or a fine of KRW 50 million to 7 years' imprisonment or a fine of KRW 100 million. Penalties for violation of court orders issued under the Act increase from a maximum of 3 years' imprisonment or a fine of KRW 30 million to 5 years' imprisonment or a fine of KRW 50 million. Provisions on access blocking entered into force on 10 May 2026.