Jurisdiction

South Korea

South Korea combines industrial promotion with statutory duties for high-impact and generative AI under the AI Basic Act.

Policy approach

Current structure

MSIT leads implementation of transparency, safety and high-impact obligations, with grace periods and guidance clarifying early enforcement.

Policy questions

Geopolitics & compute

Should advanced AI chips face export controls?

US export controls already treat advanced computing integrated circuits as regulated items. The dispute is scope, partners and effectiveness.

Institutional design

Should states prefer AI promotion statutes to horizontal bans?

Japan’s Act No. 53 of 2025 promotes AI development and directs guidelines. Whether that model outcompetes bans-heavy statutes remains contested.

Content integrity

Should watermarking standards be mandatory?

Open provenance standards such as C2PA already exist. The dispute is whether law should require them or leave adoption voluntary.

Policy asks

in-force

Require advance notice and clear labelling for generative and high-impact AI

Require AI business operators providing high-impact or generative AI to inform users in advance and clearly label generative outputs, including deepfakes.

Policy vehicles

regulation · In force

Korea AI Basic Act and Enforcement Decree

South Korea’s comprehensive AI statute combining industry promotion with transparency, safety and high-impact duties.

Policy timeline

Events and deadlines

2026-01-22
Korea AI Basic Act enters into force
The AI Basic Act and Enforcement Decree took effect, with a grace period of at least one year.