How to Request CCTV Footage in Korea

To get public CCTV footage in Korea, submit a personal video information access request form and your ID to the agency that manages the camera. For alley and park cameras, that is usually the city or county integrated control center (통합관제센터). Article 35 of the Personal Information Protection Act and Article 44 of the Standard Personal Information Protection Guidelines let you request footage in which you appear. Because footage is usually deleted after about 30 days, the most important thing is to ask quickly.

After a traffic accident, a lost item, or an assault, nearby CCTV footage can be crucial. Below are the steps for city and district office cameras, subway cameras, retention periods, and the documents you need. Forms and agency pages are in Korean, so the Korean names are included where they help.

The legal basis

• Personal Information Protection Act, Article 35 (access to personal information): a data subject may request access to their own personal information held by a data handler, and may make that request directly to a public institution (paragraphs 1 and 2).
• Standard Personal Information Protection Guidelines, Article 44 (data subject requests): you may ask to view CCTV footage (personal video information) or to confirm that it exists, but only footage in which you yourself were filmed (paragraph 1). If the operator is a public institution, you file the request with the head of the institution on Form No. 2, the personal video information access and existence confirmation request (개인영상정보 열람·존재확인 청구서) (paragraph 2), and the institution checks your ID to confirm you are the person filmed or a lawful representative (paragraph 3).
• Deadline: the institution must let you view the footage within 10 days of receiving the request (Act Article 35(3), Enforcement Decree Article 41(4) and (5)). With a legitimate reason it may postpone after telling you why, and if it limits or refuses access it must give the reason in writing or similar within 10 days (Guidelines Article 44(4)).
• Grounds for limiting access: access can be limited or refused when it could harm another person's life or body, or unfairly infringe another person's property or other interests, among other grounds (Act Article 35(4)).

Step by step: city and district office CCTV

1. Find the camera and its managing agency. Start by checking which cameras are near the scene. As explained in How to check CCTV locations near you, searching an address on Viewcone shows nearby public CCTV sites and their purpose. The managing agency is listed in the open data.
2. Call the responsible office first. Call the city or district office's main number and ask to be connected to the CCTV integrated control center or the department in charge. Check whether footage from that date still exists, how to apply (in person, by mail, online), and whether they can preserve it before it is deleted. Whether an agency accepts preservation requests varies.
3. Submit the request form. For a public institution, use the personal video information access and existence confirmation request (Form No. 2 of the Standard Guidelines). You can get it from the agency's website (civil petition menu) or at the counter, and you submit it with your ID.
4. Review and notice. The agency checks that you are the person in the footage and whether other people's information is included. Within 10 days it tells you when you can view the footage, or why it is postponing or refusing.
5. View the footage or receive a copy. You watch it at the control center or a similar place, or receive a copy, depending on the agency. If other people are identifiable or their privacy could be infringed, the agency must protect them, for example by blurring them (Guidelines Article 46).

Subway CCTV requests

Station and train cameras are managed by the operator of that line, not by the local government. Each region has its own urban rail operator, such as Seoul Metro (서울교통공사) and Busan Transportation Corporation (부산교통공사), and some sections are run by Korail (한국철도공사). Different lines through the same station can have different operators.

• Ask at the station office first. Contact the station office (역무실) where the incident happened, or the operator's customer center, to be pointed to the right department and procedure. Give the date, time, station name, exit or platform, and train car as precisely as you can.
• Each operator has its own process. Forms, submission methods, and whether copies are provided differ, so follow the operator's instructions.
• For crimes, report to the police first. For sexual offenses, assault, or pickpocketing on the subway, call 112. Investigators will secure the footage, which is often faster than requesting it yourself.

How long footage is kept

Public CCTV footage is usually kept for about 30 days and then deleted automatically. Article 41(2) of the Standard Guidelines says that when it is hard to set the minimum period needed for the purpose, footage should be kept no longer than 30 days after collection, and many agencies follow that rule. Actual retention differs by agency and equipment and can be shorter. The exact period is in the agency's CCTV operation and management policy or on the sign next to the camera.

That is why, if you need footage, you should contact the managing agency right after the incident instead of waiting.

Documents and what to write on the form

Documents

• Personal video information access and existence confirmation request (agency form)
• ID (resident registration card, driver's license, and so on; ask the agency which IDs it accepts)
• If a representative applies: a power of attorney and the representative's ID (check what the agency requires)
• Anything showing the incident helps (for example, an accident report number)

What to write on the form

• The date and time window of the footage, as narrow as possible (for example, Oct 3, 18:20 to 18:40)
• The location (address, intersection, building name; the camera's location is even better)
• The purpose (checking a traffic accident, finding a lost item, and so on)
• How you appear in the footage (clothing, vehicle plate number, and so on)

If you don't speak or read Korean

The request form, agency websites and most phone lines are in Korean, but there is help:

• Crimes: call 112. Since 18 March 2024 the police have run English and Chinese interpretation on 112 around the clock. An interpreter joins your call as a three-way call, and you can also report by text.
• Paperwork and procedures: call 1345. The Immigration Contact Center gives counseling for foreign residents in 20 languages from 09:00 to 22:00; after 18:00 only Korean, English and Chinese are available.
• ID: bring the ID you would use at any government office, such as your residence card (외국인등록증), and ask the agency in advance which IDs it accepts.
• On the form: fill in the date, time window and location in numbers and Korean addresses (copy the address from a Korean map app). A short description of your clothing or vehicle plate helps staff find you in the footage.

Where to apply

Type of CCTV	Where to apply
Alley and park crime prevention cameras	City, county, or district office (integrated control center)
Road traffic enforcement and monitoring	Police station or the road's managing agency
Subway stations and trains	The line's operator (ask the station office first)
Inside buses	The bus company
Shops, apartments, parking lots	Building management office or business owner (private CCTV)

Cost

Article 38(3) of the Personal Information Protection Act lets agencies charge a fee for access requests, plus postage when you ask for a copy to be mailed. Whether a fee applies and how much it is depends on the agency, so ask when you apply. Private CCTV (shops, banks) follows the operator's own policy.

Things to know

• A request can be limited or refused, for example when it could unfairly infringe another person's life, body, or interests (Act Article 35(4)).
• If you report an incident to the police, officers secure footage for the investigation. This is often faster than requesting it yourself.
• Not sure where the cameras are? Check Viewcone or the region index first. Knowing the camera's location makes it easier to find the right agency.
• For detailed criteria, see the CCTV guidance from the Personal Information Protection Commission (Korean).

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Sources

• Personal Information Protection Act Article 35 (access to personal information) and Article 38 (methods and procedures for exercising rights) - Korean Law Information Center (Korean)
• Enforcement Decree of the Personal Information Protection Act Article 41 - Korean Law Information Center (Korean)
• Standard Personal Information Protection Guidelines Article 41 (retention and destruction), Article 44 (data subject requests), Article 46, and Form No. 2 - Personal Information Protection Commission Notice No. 2025-4 (Korean)
• Immigration Contact Center 1345 - Ministry of Justice, 2025-11-03
• Police expand 112 interpretation to 24 hours - KOREA Policy Review, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, May 2024
• This post is general information, not legal advice. For a specific case, check with the managing agency or a lawyer.
• Articles were checked on 2026-10-09 against the versions in force (the Act as promulgated 2026-03-10, the Guidelines as issued 2025-04-11). Laws change, so check the original text and the agency's instructions before you apply.

FAQ

How do I request footage from a district office camera?

Call the district office's main number, ask for the CCTV integrated control center or the responsible department, confirm the footage still exists, and submit the access request form with your ID. The office must let you view it or explain a refusal within 10 days.

Where do I request subway CCTV footage?

From the operator of that line, such as Seoul Metro, Busan Transportation Corporation, or Korail. Ask the station office where the incident happened to find the right department and procedure. For crimes, report to the police (112) first.

Can I see footage that also shows other people?

Yes, but if others are identifiable or their privacy is at risk, the agency will blur them or apply similar protection before showing it (Guidelines Article 46). If viewing would seriously infringe someone else's rights, access may be limited.

Can I request footage I'm not in, for example of my parked car?

Article 44(1) of the Standard Guidelines limits requests to footage in which you were filmed. Footage without you is hard to obtain this way, so for something like damage to a parked car, reporting it to the police and letting them secure the footage is the practical route.

What if the footage has already been deleted?

Deleted footage is hard to recover. Look for nearby shop cameras or dashcam footage from parked cars, and consider reporting to the police so they can gather other evidence.

I want to know which cameras are near a place first.

Search the address on Viewcone to see nearby public CCTV sites and their purpose. The step-by-step guide is in How to check CCTV locations near you.