From Wednesday, foreign technology firms such as Google and Facebook that don't have local units with authority to deal with local government questions,... are required to have an agent.
The agents should have the authority to deal with South Korean government questions on behalf of the headquarters.
Korea's Communications Commission said it has introduced the new regulations as it had trouble contacting the authority in charge when there was personal data leaks in the past.
Firms that store personal data at least for three months and have over a million website visitors a day will need agents.
Also firms with over nine million U.S. dollars of annual sales in information services need one.
If the companies don't comply, they face up to eighteen-thousand dollars in fines.