Seoul: Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong announced on Friday that Google must assume responsibility if any legal violations are discovered in relation to an alleged leak of personal data belonging to victims of digital sex crimes.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the victims' sensitive information surfaced on a foreign research project website collaborating with Google. The data, which included names and contact details of individuals who had requested the removal of illegally filmed videos from Google, was only taken down after government intervention.

Minister Won emphasized the heightened responsibility that comes with Google's global influence, stating, "A platform with significant influence globally, like Google, has an even heavier responsibility to protect and safely deal with sensitive information of victims." She called for Google to face legal consequences should any violations be uncovered, urging the company to take the issue seriously rather than dismissing it as a mere technical error.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is reportedly working alongside the Korea Media and Communications Commission to investigate potential violations of laws, including those related to sexual violence punishment. Google has issued an apology, attributing the incident to technical errors and assuring that they requested the immediate removal of the exposed information.

Minister Won also noted that the government will monitor Google's implementation of preventive measures, highlighting the company's commitment not to disclose South Korean deletion requests to third parties. Further investigations are underway by the Personal Information Protection Commission to ensure such incidents do not recur on other online platforms.