Bill would mandate transfer of patient records from suspended or shuttered clinics to national system, strengthening protection of sensitive medical data

Rep. So Byeong-hun of the Democratic Party of Korea [provided by lawmaker's office]
Rep. So Byeong-hun of the Democratic Party of Korea [provided by lawmaker's office]

Rep. So Byeong-hun of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee representing Gwangju-gap in Gyeonggi Province, said Thursday he had introduced a bill to consolidate medical records from suspended or shuttered clinics into a unified state management system, strengthening the protection of patients' personal health information.

Under current law, medical institutions that suspend or close operations are required to transfer patient records to the local public health center. However, the law also allows the clinic's founder to retain the records directly if the head of the health center grants permission.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, an estimated 88 percent of records from closed clinics were being held directly by their founders as of October 2021. That arrangement has raised persistent concerns: contact with former medical staff is often lost after a closure, leaving patients unable to obtain their records, while the risk of sensitive personal data being mishandled or leaked remains.

So said the ministry launched a dedicated medical records storage system in July 2025 to support the preservation and management of such records, but a large share of files from suspended or shuttered clinics still have not been transferred to it. As of March, health centers held records from 1,518 closed clinics, of which only 823 had completed the transfer to the system. With an annual average of 2,384 clinics closing nationwide over the past five years, the need for systematic management of records from shuttered facilities has grown more urgent.

The bill would eliminate the exception allowing clinic founders to retain records themselves, making it mandatory for records from suspended or closed clinics to be transferred to the relevant public health center and managed through the national records storage system. The legislation also lays the groundwork for incorporating compatibility with the records storage system into the certification standards for electronic medical record systems, with the aim of making future transfers smoother and more secure.

The changes are expected to allow patients to access and obtain their medical records without having to track down contact information for a closed clinic or visit it in person. The bill is also intended to prevent personal data leaks and gaps in records management that can arise when a clinic suspends or ceases operations.

"Patient medical records are not only vital health information that protects people's lives — they are also sensitive personal data, and they must be kept safe not only while a clinic is operating but also after it closes," So said. "I will continue to strengthen the medical information protection framework so that people can access their health records with confidence, anytime and anywhere."


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