South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission announced on Monday that new downloads of the Chinese artificial intelligence application DeepSeek had been suspended in the country due to concerns over its compliance with national data protection laws. The decision came after DeepSeek acknowledged that it had failed to fully adhere to South Korea’s regulations on safeguarding personal information.
The suspension, which took effect on Saturday, is aimed at preventing new users from downloading the application while the company works on implementing necessary improvements in accordance with the country’s privacy laws. However, the web-based version of DeepSeek remains accessible in South Korea, allowing existing users to continue using the service.
The Chinese startup behind DeepSeek recently appointed legal representatives in South Korea and admitted to having overlooked certain aspects of the country’s data protection framework. South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission emphasized that the suspension was not a permanent ban but a temporary measure to ensure that the company complies with local privacy regulations. Once DeepSeek addresses the concerns and aligns with the requirements, the application’s availability is expected to be restored.
This move follows a growing trend of regulatory scrutiny over artificial intelligence applications and data privacy compliance. Last month, Italy’s data protection authority, Garante per la Protezione dei Dati Personali, also ordered DeepSeek to suspend its chatbot service in the country after the company failed to meet the regulator’s privacy policy requirements. The Italian watchdog cited concerns over the application’s handling of user data and its transparency in processing personal information.
DeepSeek has not yet responded to requests for comments regarding the recent developments in South Korea. Meanwhile, concerns over data privacy have also been raised in other countries, prompting various regulatory bodies to closely monitor artificial intelligence-driven applications that process large volumes of user data.
Addressing South Korea’s decision to suspend new downloads of DeepSeek, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China stated in a briefing on February 6 that the Chinese government places high importance on data privacy and security. The spokesperson emphasized that the government enforces strict legal protections for personal data and does not instruct any company or individual to collect or store data in violation of applicable laws.
The suspension of DeepSeek in South Korea underscores the increasing global scrutiny surrounding artificial intelligence applications and data protection regulations. As governments worldwide tighten their oversight on digital platforms, companies operating in the artificial intelligence space are facing mounting pressure to comply with stringent privacy laws to ensure the secure handling of user information.
