This study examines whether the current classification system for private investigation services under the Korean Standard Industrial Classification (KSIC) adequately reflects the actual nature, scope, and industrial characteristics of the private...
This study examines whether the current classification system for private investigation services under the Korean Standard Industrial Classification (KSIC) adequately reflects the actual nature, scope, and industrial characteristics of the private investigation industry in Korea. It also aims to suggest directions for improving the classification of private investigation services in the future. Since the amendment of the Credit Information Use and Protection Act in 2020, the use of the title “private investigator” has become legally permissible. As a result, social interest in and demand for private investigation services have continued to increase. However, private investigation services in Korea have not yet been clearly established within the legal and institutional framework. In particular, under the current KSIC, private investigation services are classified under Section N, “Business Facilities Management, Business Support and Rental Services,” Division 75, “Business Support Services,” Group 753, “Security, Guard and Investigation Services,” and Subclass 75330, “Private Investigation and Inquiry Services.” This raises the need to examine whether the current classification properly reflects the professional investigative nature and industrial independence of private investigation services.
To achieve this purpose, this study conducted a literature review and expert Delphi surveys. The literature review examined the concept of private investigators and private investigation services, the development process of the private investigation industry in Korea, domestic and international standard industrial classification systems, previous studies and legislative proposals related to private investigation services, and the classification relationship between private investigation services and similar industries. In addition, private investigation tasks were reorganized into three functional types from a demand-oriented perspective: information provision, fact-finding investigation, and location tracing. Based on this framework, two rounds of Delphi surveys were conducted with 15 experts, including scholars in private investigation studies, private investigation practitioners, and experts in industrial classification and public policy. The surveys analyzed expert opinions on the validity of the proposed task typology, the appropriateness of the current KSIC classification, and possible directions for improving the classification system.
The main findings of this study are as follows. First, private investigation tasks can be structured into three functional types: information provision, fact-finding investigation, and location tracing. Among these, fact-finding investigation received the highest level of agreement from the expert panel and was identified as a core function of private investigation services. Second, the expanded areas of contemporary private investigation, including digital forensics, cybersecurity, information deletion, security audits, risk management, and security consulting, need to be reflected as detailed or extended domains within the three functional types. Third, the experts strongly recognized that the current placement of private investigation services within business support services and in the same classification group as security and guard services does not sufficiently reflect the actual industrial characteristics of private investigation services. Fourth, the current description and industrial examples of Subclass 75330 were found to be insufficient in representing the professionalism, independence, and expandability of private investigation services.
Based on these findings, this study proposes a phased approach to improving the classification system for private investigation services in Korea. In the short term, the description and industrial examples of the current Subclass 75330, “Private Investigation and Inquiry Services,” should be revised to reflect the actual scope and characteristics of contemporary private investigation work. In the medium term, private investigation services should be considered for separation from security and guard services and reorganized as an independent group or class. In the long term, it is necessary to consider relocating private investigation services to a category related to professional, scientific, and technical services, or to a broader investigation and information service category. This direction would allow private investigation services to be redefined not merely as an adjacent field to security and guard services, but as a knowledge-based professional service industry that performs information gathering, fact-finding, location tracing, analysis, and digital investigation.
This study is significant in that it analyzes private investigation services from the perspective of the industrial classification system and presents problems and improvement directions for the current classification based on expert consensus. In particular, it identifies the industrial identity of private investigation services as a professional service field centered on investigation, information, and analysis. The findings may provide foundational material for the enactment of a basic law on private investigation services, the design of a qualification system, the establishment of education and training programs, the production of industrial statistics, and the development of policy support measures. However, since this study is based on expert perception surveys, future research should further analyze quantitative industrial data, such as the number of private investigation businesses, the number of workers, sales volume, and demand by service type.
Keywords: Korean Standard Industrial Classification, private investigation services,
industrial classification system, Delphi survey, typology of private investigation tasks