SEOUL: South Korean officials said on Thursday that due to security concerns, they temporarily blocked employees from accessing Chinese AI startup DeepSeek.
The government is urging caution when using generative AI services.
On Tuesday, the government issued a notice warning ministries and agencies to exercise caution when using AI tools, such as DeepSeek and ChatGPT.
State-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power blocked AI services, including DeepSeek, earlier this month. The defence ministry also restricted DeepSeek on military-use computers, officials said Thursday. The foreign ministry limited access to DeepSeek on computers connected to external networks, Yonhap News Agency reported. The ministry declined to confirm specific security measures.
DeepSeek has not responded to an emailed request for comment. It is unclear if the ministries have taken action against ChatGPT.
South Korea is the latest country to warn about or restrict DeepSeek. Australia and Taiwan banned DeepSeek from all government devices this week, citing security risks.
In January, Italy’s data protection authority ordered DeepSeek to block its chatbot in the country. The regulator said DeepSeek failed to address privacy concerns. Governments in Europe, the U.S., and India are also reviewing the risks of using DeepSeek.
South Korea’s information privacy watchdog plans to question DeepSeek on its handling of user data.
DeepSeek’s latest AI models launched last month, shaking up the tech industry. The company claims its models rival or outperform U.S. products at a lower cost.
South Korean companies are tightening AI security. Kakao Corp told employees not to use DeepSeek over security fears, a spokesperson said Wednesday. This came a day after Kakao announced a partnership with OpenAI.
Tech firms are now more cautious with generative AI. AI chipmaker SK Hynix restricted access to such services, allowing limited use when necessary. Naver, a major web portal, advised employees not to use AI tools that store data externally.
