A Study on the institution of a Personal Health Information Protection Law - With the focus on the Personal Information Control Right -

As information technology has been developed, the health information is shared and exchanged not only inside of the medical facilities, but also among facilities or countries. The more identifiable health data are gathered and exchanged, personal privacy is more infringed. The most urgent task for protection against violation of personal health information is establishment of Personal Health Information Protection Law. Nevertheless, premature legislation without discretion would not be the appropriate countermeasure. In this article, we discussed about legal issues and legislation progress to protect personal health information privacy in Korea. The Law should be focused on the harmony and balance between personal controllability and public benefit of disclosure and use of health information to keep pace with u-health era.ope