The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) of South Korea announced the operational launch, starting October 23, 2026, of a "Personal Data Innovation Zone" managed by the Daegu Digital Innovation Promotion Agency.

Introduced in 2024, these zones aim to provide a highly secure data processing environment to encourage more flexible use of pseudonymized information by researchers and companies. Through measures such as multi-factor authentication and real-time screen recording, users can conduct activities difficult to perform in traditional research environments. These include relaxing pseudonymization levels, using various combination keys, long-term data retention for ongoing studies, reuse by third parties, as well as research on privacy-enhancing technologies (PET).

The Daegu agency, designated in April 2026, obtained its final validation after setting up the required infrastructures and will focus on data from the robotics to artificial intelligence and healthcare sectors. This initiative is part of a network of ten designated institutions and complements the services of the "Support Center for the Use of Pseudonymized Information" already managed by the agency. The PIPC plans to continue expanding this network, with a call for applications scheduled for the first quarter of 2027, and to establish a liaison platform to facilitate data exchange between zones, with a pilot project expected in November 2026.