Taeuk Kang

Partner

T. +82-2-3404-0485
F. +82-31-601-7686
E. taeuk.kang@bkl.co.kr

Overview

Taeuk Kang began his legal career as a judge in 2002 and joined Bae, Kim & Lee LLC in 2007, where he has practiced ever since. At BKL, his practice focuses primarily on advisory and litigation matters involving data privacy and protection, intellectual property litigation and advisory matters, and a broad range of legal advisory matters for domestic and international IT and advanced technology companies in the gaming, platform, and e-commerce sectors.

Mr. Kang currently serves as a member of various expert committees in the areas of data privacy and protection, intellectual property, the gaming industry, platforms, and e-commerce, in his capacity as advisor to the Personal Information Protection Commission, member of the Korea Copyright Commission, director of the Game Self-Governance Organization of Korea, and arbitrator on the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board.

Related Practices

Representative Experience

2007-Present Bae, Kim & Lee LLC

2002-2007 Judge, Cheongju and Suwon District Court

2026-Present Expert Committee Member on High-Impact AI, Ministry of Science and ICT

2025-Present Member, Korea Copyright Commission

2025-Present Member, G-STAR Advisory Committee, Korea Association of Game Industry

2025-Present Advisory Committee Member for the Pilot Program for Score-Based Reward Arcade Games, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

2025-2026 Member and Subcommittee Chair, Privacy Policy Evaluation Committee, Personal Information Protection Commission

2025 Member, 2025 AI Copyright System Improvement Working Group

2024-Present General Counsel, Ministry of the Interior and Safety; Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

2024-Present Vice President, Korean Association for Artificial Intelligence and Law

2024-Present Director, Game Self-Governance Organization of Korea

2024-Present Auditor, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Foundation

2023-2025 Member, Personal Information Future Forum, Personal Information Protection Commission

2021-Present Vice President, Korea Personal Information Protection Law Association

2021-Present Member, Adequacy Assessment Committee for Data Specialized Institutions, Korea Financial Telecommunications & Clearings Institute; Member, Adequacy Assessment Committee for Pseudonymization and Anonymization, Financial Security Institute

2021-Present Member, Personal Data Protection Committee, NAVER

2021-2026 Member, Open Data Mediation Committee

2021-2025 Member, Copyright Protection and Deliberation Committee, Korea Copyright Protection Agency

2021-2025 Member, Continuous Evaluation Committee, Financial Security Institute

2020-2023 Member, Legislative Research Committee on Amendments to the Personal Information Protection Act; Member, Institutional Innovation Advisory Group, Personal Information Protection Commission

2020-2023 Member, Fair e-Sports Committee

2020-2023 Member, Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC)

2017-Present Advisor, Personal Information Protection Commission

2017-2020 Member, Committee on Interpretation of Personal Information Protection Laws, Korea Communications Commission

2016-2020 Member, Deliberation Committee for Cancellation of Registered Periodicals in Gyeonggi Province

2015-2019 Member, Seoul City Hope Economy Commission

2014-2020 Member, Content Dispute Resolution Committee

2014-2016 Member, Game Content Rating Board (GCRB)

2013-2015 Expert Advisor, Expert Committee on Creation, Presidential Council on Intellectual Property

2012-Present Expert Advisor, Copyright Service Support Group for Industrial Sites, Korea Copyright Commission

2012-2020 Advisory Member, Advisory Committee on Interpretation of Personal Information Protection Laws, Ministry of the Interior and Safety

Representative Matters

Represented numerous domestic and international game companies in copyright infringement litigation involving games, and represented and advised various other game companies in litigation and advisory matters relating to the protection of copyrights and other rights in games

Represented numerous domestic and international companies using music in civil and criminal litigation against KOMCA, FKMP, and RIAK concerning license fees, and advised them in related negotiations

Advised numerous domestic and international AI developers and service providers on copyright and unfair competition law compliance issues relating to training data and prompting

Represented and advised numerous domestic and international online education providers and instructors in litigation and advisory matters involving copyright and unfair competition prevention laws

Represented and advised numerous system integration (SI) and software development companies in litigation and advisory matters relating to the protection of software copyrights, as well as in litigation and advisory matters concerning service agreements

Trade Secrets

Represented a power plant design and engineering company in litigation involving the protection of trade secrets relating to power plant design technology, and represented numerous other companies in trade secret misappropriation litigation and preliminary injunction proceedings seeking to prohibit employees from joining competitors

Represented a major Korean conglomerate in civil and criminal proceedings involving the protection of trade secrets relating to solar power

Represented a lens manufacturer in civil and criminal proceedings involving trade secret protection and advised the company on establishing a comprehensive trade secret protection framework

Represented numerous companies in trade secret misappropriation litigation and preliminary injunction proceedings seeking to prohibit employees from joining competitors

Personal Information

Represented the Korea Pharmaceutical Information Center in civil and criminal proceedings involving alleged violations of the Personal Information Protection Act, and represented Scatter Lab in proceedings involving alleged violations of the Personal Information Protection Act in connection with the use of data for AI training for its Lee Luda service

Represented numerous domestic and international companies in civil and criminal proceedings arising from personal data breaches and information and communications network security incidents, as well as in administrative litigation seeking the cancellation of administrative sanctions, including administrative fines and surcharges

Advised numerous domestic and international companies on data privacy compliance projects and a broad range of data privacy and protection issues

Advised the Personal Information Protection Commission, Korea Internet & Security Agency, Korea Media and Communications Commission, and other relevant authorities and organizations on a broad range of legal and regulatory issues relating to personal data protection and information and communications networks

Advised numerous Korean companies on integrated domestic and global data privacy compliance covering the GDPR, CCPA, Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI), and other applicable data privacy laws and regulations

Game

Advised numerous domestic and international companies on game rating and classification issues and represented them in responding to rating-related regulatory actions by the Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC), including those involving probability-based items

Represented and advised numerous domestic and international companies in matters involving the protection of copyrights in games

Advised numerous domestic and international companies on copyright and unfair competition law compliance in connection with game launches, as well as on compliance relating to data and personal information protection

Advised numerous U.S., Chinese, Japanese, and other international companies on issues relating to their entry into the Korean market, as well as matters concerning domestic representatives

E-Commerce

Advised numerous international e-commerce companies on a broad range of legal issues relating to their entry into the Korean market and provided comprehensive advice on obtaining licenses in Korea

Advised numerous domestic e-commerce platforms, delivery platforms, payment platforms, and e-commerce companies on compliance with Korean laws and regulations, including the Act on the Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce and the Electronic Financial Transactions Act

Intellectual Property – Patents, Trademarks, etc.

Represented numerous domestic and international companies in patent litigation, including patent infringement cases involving drillships and front-end semiconductor manufacturing equipment, patent litigation involving tires and anchors used in the construction industry, and business method patent cases

Represented and advised numerous domestic and international companies in trademark infringement litigation and other trademark-related matters

Represented and advised numerous international companies in litigation and other matters involving unauthorized reproduction and parallel imports

Education

2017 Seoul National University (LL.D.)

2011 University of Southern California Gould School of Law (LL.M.)

2004 Seoul National University (LL.M.)

2002 Judicial Research and Training Institute, Supreme Court of Korea

1999 Seoul National University (LL.B.)

Selected Activities

Publications

Studies on Artificial Intelligence Law (Co-author; edited by Sung Yup Lee, Pakyoungsa, 2026)

Introduction of Punitive Administrative Surcharges and Mandatory Personal Information Protection Certification: Transformation and Challenges of the Personal Information Protection Management System (KISO Journal, No. 63, 2026)

Personal Information Protection Act (Co-author; edited by Kyung Jin Choi, Pakyoungsa, 2025)

One Hundred Selected Cases Relating to Information Law II & III (Co-author; Korea Association for Informedia Law, Pakyoungsa, 2025)

Lessons from the Probability-Based Item Controversy (KISO Journal, No. 57, 2024)

Several Issues Concerning the Provision of Personal Information to Third Parties (NAVER Privacy White Paper, 2023)

One Hundred Selected Cases Relating to Personal Information (Co-author, Pakyoungsa, 2022)

Joint Ownership and Use of Trade Secrets (Frontiers of Intellectual Property Law Dispute Resolution: Case Commentaries in Honor of Professor Sun-hee Yoon's Retirement, Bobmunsa, 2022)

A Closer Look at Self-Regulatory Codes for Personal Information Protection (KISO Journal, No. 48, 2022)

Processing of Personal Information in the Lee Luda Service and AI Model Training (DAIG, 2021)

2020 European Union General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) Guide Book for Domestic Entrepreneur (Co-author, Korea Internet & Security Agency, 2020)

Recent Cases in Foreign Countries regarding the Use of Actual Copyrighted Works in Video Games (C-Story 22nd, Korea Copyright Protection Agency, 2020)

From “Dog Poop Girl” to the “Digital Prison”: Between Profiling and Collective Public Shaming (KISO Journal, No. 41, 2020)

Study on Consumer Protection in Cloud Computing (Co-author, National IT Industry Promotion Agency, 2019)

Analysis of the Recent Trend on Profiling Technology and Study on Privacy Policy Direction (Co-author, Korea Internet & Security Agency, 2018)

A Study on the Protection of Ideas in Creative Works (doctoral thesis, Seoul National University, 2017)

The International Comparative Legal Guide to Data Protection 2017 Edition: Korea Chapter (Co-author, Global Legal Group, 2017)

Transfer of Personal Information in a Corporate Structural Change, Journal of Korean Law (Co-author, Seoul National University Asia-Pacific Law Institute, 2017)

Privacy and Data Security Deskbook: South Korea part (Hunton AK, 2015~)

Law and Policies for Personal Information Protection (Co-author; edited by Hak Soo Koh, Pakyoungsa, 2014)

Guidebook on the Use of Copyrighted Works for Start-up Software Companies (Korea Copyright Commission, 2013)

Liability for Indirect Infringement in Patent Infringement Involving Multiple Actors, The Law Times (The Law Times, 2012)

Substantial Similarity in Musical Works (Copyright Quarterly, No. 77, Korea Copyright Commission, 2007)

A Study on Practical Issues Concerning Preliminary Injunctions Against Patent Infringement (Gyeonggi Law Journal, No. 13, Suwon Bar Association, 2006)

Scope of Protection for Technical Measures in Light of the PS2 Mod Chip Case (Journal of Digital Property Law, Vol. 5, No. 1, Sechang Publishing, 2006)

Paper on the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) (Software and Law, No. 1, Korea Software Property-Right Council, 2002)

A Study on the Protection of E-mail Privacy in the Workplace (Korea Information Security Agency, 2002)

Duties and Damage Liability of Certifying Institutions (Outstanding Paper on Information Security, Korea Information Security Agency, 2001)

Legal and Institutional Measures to Prevent the Misuse and Abuse of E-mail (Outstanding Paper on Information Security, Korea Information Security Agency, 1999)

Guide to Unfair Practices Relating to Y2K (Co-author, Y2K Support Center, 1999)

Awards

Chambers Asia-Pacific - Leading Lawyer (2018-2026)

Chambers Global - Leading Lawyer (2019-2026)

The Legal 500 - Leading Lawyer (2019-2026)

Lexology Index - Leading Expert (2019-2026)

Asia Business Law Journal - Korea's Top 100 Lawyers (2023-2025)

Commendation from the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism for Contributions to the Game Industry (2025)

The Asia Legal Awards - Data Privacy Lawyer of the Year (2020)

Citation (President of Korea Internet & Security Agency in relation to Personal Information Protection Works, 2018)

Citation (Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in relation to Copyright Works, 2015)

Citation (Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs in relation to Personal Information Protection Works, 2013)