South Korea Suspends Local Service of Chinese AI app DeepSeek

SEOUL:
The government said on Monday it has temporarily suspended the local service of Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) app DeepSeek over concerns about its data collection practices.

The Personal Information Protection Commission said the service was suspended at 6 p.m. Saturday and will be resumed after “improvements and remedies” are made in line with South Korea’s personal information protection laws.

The measures come after multiple government ministries and agencies blocked internal access to the AI service amid concerns about the startup’s data management practices, reports Yonhap news agency.

The commission sent a formal inquiry to DeepSeek last month seeking clarification on the service’s data collection and management methods.

DeepSeek has since assigned a representative in South Korea and acknowledged shortcomings in considering local protection laws while also expressing its will to actively cooperate with the commission.

Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador Dai Bing last week cited the joint communique on AI signed by South Korea, China and other countries at a recent summit in Paris, amid Seoul’s moves to block access to China’s AI model DeepSeek over security concerns.

It was the first public comment by the top envoy to Seoul as South Korea has been taking steps to restrict access to DeepSeek across all government agencies, citing risks of personal and confidential data leaks.

South Korea’s spy agency has sent a notice to the government urging it to take precautions over its use.

“At the Paris Artificial Intelligence Summit, China, along with South Korea, France and 60 other countries and international organizations jointly signed the Declaration on the Development of Inclusive and Sustainable AI for the Benefit of Humanity and the Planet,” reflecting a shared commitment to the safe, sustainable, and fair development of AI,” Dai said in a posting on the social media channel X.

Dai also noted that DeepSeek has “sparked global discussions.”