Republic of Korea: Amendment to Copyright Act including user and subject rights was adopted by National Assembly

On 10 February 2026, the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea adopted the Partial Amendment to the Copyright Act (Act No. 21336). The Amendment applies to online service providers and telecommunications business operators. Regarding the rights of infringement victims, Article 125 permits courts to award compensation of up to 5 times the recognised loss in cases of intentional infringement, with courts required to consider factors including the degree of intent, the scale of damage, the economic benefits obtained by the infringer, and any criminal penalties already imposed. Regarding the rights of businesses subject to enforcement action, Article 133 requires public officials to carry and present identification before entering locations to inspect documents, with this power limited to cases where it is necessary for the discovery of illegal copies. Regarding the rights of parties subject to emergency blocking, the new Article 133-4 enables the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to order immediate blocking of access to illegal copies without prior Committee deliberation. A party whose content is blocked is entitled to file an objection within 5 days, upon which the Minister is required to lift the block immediately. The Copyright Protection Deliberative Committee will then assess within 5 days whether the measure should be confirmed or removed, and where the blocking is found to be unjustified, affected parties are entitled to claim compensation under the National Compensation Act. Most provisions will enter into force on 11 August 2026, while provisions on access blocking will enter into force on 10 May 2026.