South Korea’s industry ministry has temporarily banned employee access to Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek due to security concerns, a ministry official confirmed on Wednesday.
The decision aligns with the government’s broader caution on generative AI services in the workplace.
On Tuesday, the government issued a notice urging ministries and agencies to be cautious when using AI services, including DeepSeek and ChatGPT, according to officials.
State-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power confirmed it had blocked AI services such as DeepSeek earlier this month. Meanwhile, the foreign ministry has also restricted access to DeepSeek on computers connected to external networks, according to Yonhap News Agency. The ministry declined to confirm specific security measures.
The restriction makes South Korea the latest government to flag concerns over DeepSeek. Last month, Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers advised Australians to be wary of using the Chinese AI model, while U.S. officials are also examining its national security implications.
South Korea’s information privacy watchdog has announced plans to request details from DeepSeek on how user data is handled and safeguarded.
DeepSeek’s recent launch of its latest AI models has sent shockwaves through the tech industry. The company claims its models rival or outperform U.S.-developed products while being produced at a fraction of the cost.
In response to security concerns, South Korean tech firms are also adjusting their policies. Tech giant Kakao Corp has advised employees to avoid using DeepSeek, a company spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday. The announcement came just a day after Kakao disclosed its partnership with OpenAI, a leading player in generative AI.
Other major Korean companies are following suit. AI chipmaker SK Hynix has restricted access to generative AI services, allowing limited use only when necessary, a company spokesperson said.
Additionally, internet giant Naver has advised employees against using generative AI platforms that store data externally.
