South Korean ministries and police announced on Thursday that they have blocked access to DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, after the company failed to respond to inquiries from South Korea’s data watchdog regarding its user data management practices.
DeepSeek, which launched its R1 chatbot last month, claims to rival leading U.S. AI models at a fraction of the investment cost. However, South Korea, along with France and Italy, has sought clarification on how the company handles user information.
Following DeepSeek’s lack of response, several government agencies, including the defense ministry, police, and trade ministry, confirmed they have implemented access restrictions to prevent potential security risks. The defense ministry stated that it has blocked DeepSeek on military-related PCs with internet access and reinforced security guidelines for soldiers regarding generative AI use.
Similar restrictions have been placed by the finance, unification, and foreign ministries, with Italy and Australia also taking action against DeepSeek.
Amid the increasing global AI competition between China and the U.S., Beijing criticized the ban, asserting that it does not require companies to illegally collect or store data and accused countries of politicizing economic and technological issues.
Meanwhile, South Korea continues to strengthen its AI and semiconductor industries, announcing a $23.5 billion investment to support high-tech sectors.
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