[BizHanKook] A resident of Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, identified as Mr. A, recently received a birthday greeting message via KakaoTalk from a politician. The account that sent the message was named "Goyang City Council Member Moon Jae-ho + National Assembly Member Kim Sung-hoe." The message stated, "Mr. A, this is Goyang City Council Member Moon Jae-ho. Is it your birthday today? Happy birthday."
Mr. A stated that he has never joined a political party, nor has he ever provided his personal information to one. He is questioning how his date of birth and mobile phone number ended up in the hands of politicians. "I have never joined a political party, nor have I ever exchanged personal contact with these politicians," Mr. A said. "Knowing that they have my name and even my birthday is unsettling and makes me feel anxious."
Mr. A attempted to contact Council Member Moon Jae-ho, but his calls went unanswered. When he reached out to the office of Assemblyman Kim Sung-hoe, he was told, "We will look into it and get back to you." Shortly after, he received a message through the same KakaoTalk account: "I do not know your phone number. Your birthday appeared on KakaoTalk, so I sent a congratulatory message. If you express your refusal, I will not send any more in the future."
Ultimately, Mr. A did not receive an answer regarding how they came to know his KakaoTalk ID. The fact that the message was sent on his birthday suggests that, at the very least, he is registered as a friend on that account. While sending a simple birthday greeting is not legally problematic in itself, it remains a point of concern for the recipient.
It is possible that Mr. A had previously consented to the collection and use of his personal information, and that his contact details were subsequently passed on to the politicians. However, according to the Personal Information Protection Act, when a personal information controller processes personal information collected from sources other than the data subject, they must inform the subject upon request of the following: △ the source of the collection, △ the purpose of the processing, and △ the fact that the subject has the right to demand the suspension of processing or withdraw consent. Mr. A, however, did not receive an answer regarding these matters.
There are actual cases where similar incidents have led to legal disputes. On the 6th, Representative Lee Kang-il of the Democratic Party of Korea was sued over allegations that he collected and used the personal information of his constituents without authorization. A resident of Cheongju, Mr. B, recently received a text message from Rep. Lee regarding a "2026 National Assembly Audit Report." However, Mr. B sued Rep. Lee, claiming that he had never provided his phone number to the lawmaker's office nor had he exchanged numbers with him privately.